


Chat's Cradle

by Mindwriter2000



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Babies, Best Friends, Bonding, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dadrien, Domestic Fluff, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Secrets, Father Figures, Father's Day, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Healthy Relationships, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Insecurity, JUST, Love, Male-Female Friendship, Marriage, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Mother-Son Relationship, Nervousness, New Miraculous Holders, Original Miraculous Ladybug Character(s) - Freeform, Parent Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Parent Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Parenthood, Pregnancy, Protective Siblings, Romance, Secrets, Sibling Bonding, Siblings, Surprises, Teamwork, eventually, hhGg sully and boo???? helllo???/ KITTY?????, hi wait i just realized i made it sound like i ship sully and boo, no i meant adriens daughter was like boo, ok thank you, they are the best parents and yo ucan fight me on it, this is inspired by monsters inc but not in the way you think they're all humans OK
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 07:12:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19313212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mindwriter2000/pseuds/Mindwriter2000
Summary: Adrien and Marinette have been trying for months and at last they succeed! Their first child, Emma, is just as adventurous and daring as her father, which could be a problem, but it's a problem for Chat Noir.





	1. Bedtime Story

**Author's Note:**

> alright alright, my brother convinced me. This is the last new story i start for a while, because I absolutely need to update Schrodinger's Cat and Seeing is Believing. This is getting out of hand. 
> 
> Also I meant to have a drawing in this chapter as I often do, but I had art block and I wasn't about to let that stop me from posting this. I won't be writing fics until the 30th because I'm trying to submit an original work to a contest by then. Otherwise, I look forward to adding this to my list of 'frequent update fics'... because you know,,, that's what they're meant to be. I'll try to be better in due time.

“Aren’t you going to call him?” Tikki dragged Marinette’s phone out with a cheerful giggle.

For a moment Marinette didn’t answer, clearly distracted by the pregnancy test in her hand. Tikki was bouncing all over Marinette’s desk as soon as her office door was closed for privacy, and Marinette was trying to find her voice again after the overjoyed scream she’d let out in the bathroom. It earned her strange looks from her employees, but they didn’t dare question the woman paying them while she had the dopiest smile on her face. Her face was about as red as the fire extinguisher on the wall, and she sounded like a slowly deflating balloon— except with a Doppler Effect because of the speed she was moving toward her office.

She shook her head, though she stared at the phone longingly. “I have to tell him in person. It has to be special.”

“I think it’s plenty special as it is.”

“Yes, but I can’t just say it— let alone text it —when I did so much more for our marriage proposal.’

Tikki huffed. “In that case it’ll take forever for you to tell him!”

“Well, it only took so long because Jagged had to write the lyrics, and then we had to wait for the concert. This will be different from the proposal, a lot more lowkey.” Marinette plopped into her office chair, Tikki did the same with her barbie chair on the desk.

“Good! That was a wonderful surprise you had for Adrien though, it was worth the wait.”

Marinette smiled wistfully as she turned her chair left and right, “Yeah… he never expected anything so big from me, but I wanted it to suit something he would’ve done. I’ll never forget the way he looked at me when Jagged started performing our song.”

“ _I’ll_ never forget when afterward Adrien said he had to call off some fireworks for the following week, but you decided you wanted them anyway,” Tikki swooned.

Marinette chuckled, she was sure she had the best— and most public —proposal in the world. And of course, the best husband. The dreams she had before Hawkmoth had been defeated had nothing on her reality.  “I couldn’t steal all of his thunder after all.” She clutched her chest. This was a far different situation. Much louder than any stolen thunder, “I need to do something! It doesn’t need to be showy like the proposal, but I know it needs to be more than just words… I could bake something while he’s at work… no, he has the shortest workday I’ve ever seen in my life, I wouldn’t finish in time. Ah! I could make baby booties, I’ll only need thirty minutes.”

Marinette walked to her closet of fabrics and brought back a thick, purple yarn. She then opened the drawer full of materials built-into her desk, “And how should I present it? I want it to catch him off guard!”

“Oh, I wish you would just go for it and tell him!” Tikki frowned as her wielder got to work.

“That’s Adrien’s forte, not mine,” Marinette looped a knot over her crocheting needle and made multiple single stitches. “Don’t worry, he’ll know it by the end of lunch break.”

 

* * *

 

When Marinette arrived at home during lunch hour, Adrien was already placing a glass baking dish onto a potholder. The smell of potatoes and cream engulfed her, almost making her forget what she was most excited for.

“Hope you’re in the mood for gratin dauphinoise,” Adrien winked as he shoveled a serving onto Marinette’s plate. “Chicken and salad on the side…”

Marinette dropped her purse onto the couch and made a beeline for her husband, “I’d like that… with an Adrien appetizer.” She stood on her toes and kissed him.

Adrien’s eyes sparkled, “You’re right, they go together.”

She laughed and wrapped her arms around him. His overwhelming scent and warmth forced her eyelids shut. Her hand climbed up to his chest as she sighed. And maybe she held onto him for too long, because he grabbed her arms.

“Is everything okay, Princess?”

Marinette took half a step back, her blinking eyes glittered with waiting tears.

“Marinette!” Adrien’s brow became wrinkled.

She shook her head, taking Adrien’s right hand in both of hers, “I don’t want to go back to work.”

“Why?”

“It’s nothing bad, it’s just…” Marinette fiddled with his miraculous ring.

Adrien blinked, staring down at her in anticipation. His eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. “Ah. We can do that later… although tonight is my turn for patrol and I don’t come home until Rena comes in at midnight. So, if you’re still awake, we can…”

“Oh!” Marinette laughed nervously, “n-no, I meant because I wanted to tell y-”

“Hang on, you need a tissue,” Adrien wiped her cheek with his thumb.

Marinette almost brushed him off. She wasn’t sobbing, just silly little droplets that would evaporate on their own. But then she remembered she kept a handkerchief in her purse… as well as the booties she had just crocheted. Obviously, she had to ask Adrien to go ‘grab her handkerchief’. “Oh um,” she forced a sniffle “…I have a handkerchief in my purse.”

As expected, Adrien immediately went over to her purse and dug around. She watched him closely until his eyes widened slightly. He smiled. Her heart pounded in her throat. Adrien looked up at her. He got closer… and closer… and—

“There you go, Bug.”

Marinette refrained from frowning with disappointment as she took the handkerchief from him. How had he missed it? It was right there! At least it should have been… was it? “Thank you,” Marinette patted her eyes dry as Adrien strolled back to the table and pulled her chair out.

“Now, let’s eat before the food gets cold, Mari.”

Marinette stuffed her handkerchief back into her purse, checking to make sure that the booties were in fact there. They were right where she left them. In plain sight. She slumped into her chair and grabbed her fork.

“Tired?”

“Yes,” Marinette sighed, “in fact, I felt sick this morning so I went to the pharmacy.”

“Then you should have come home!” Adrien looked worried. Again.

Why was it that Adrien never followed the script in her head? This wasn’t how the conversation was supposed to go!

“No, not _that_ sick, I just— Adrien, I want to tell you something!” Enough was enough. If she didn’t tell him soon, she’d never get to it. Adrien wouldn’t end up finding out she was pregnant until she was twenty-five pounds heavier, had two heartbeats, and was craving deep-fried apples.

Adrien put down his first bite and leaned forward, “Ok, I’m listening.”

But the mood wasn’t there, this wasn’t enough. “Uh… nevermind. I’ll tell you later.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Oh! The food came out perfect, Adrien...”

 

* * *

 

After kicking herself for the rest of the workday, Marinette was practically tied to Adrien. She followed him everywhere, throwing out various conversations until he was finally ready to go.

“I would guess ice-cube molds aren’t perfectly square so that they’re easier to take out,” Adrien swung his bag over his shoulder.

“Then why not domes?” Marinette trotted along behind him.

“I think you can get dome-shaped molds.”

“I mean traditionally!”

“Because at the time ice-cubes were invented, everyone was a _block_ head.”

Marinette giggled.

“Obviously, they weren’t very _well-rounded_.”

She laughed louder.

“Anyway,” Adrien turned to the doorway, “I’d better save a few jokes for the stage. I’ll be back in time for dinner.”

“Wait!” Marinette took hold of his arm.”Why don’t you shorten it to an eight-minute set? A-and Chat Noir is a lot faster than going by car, we’ll be able to have dinner sooner.”

Adrien smiled softly and stroked her chin with his thumb, “If you’re hungry then go ahead and eat ahead of me, I don’t mind. I can’t change up my set last minute, sorry Princess.”

Marinette frowned. “No, that’s not what I meant, it’s okay.”

He moved his hand to the top of her head, “Is there something on your mind?”

“Oh, no, no… I’m just being silly.”

Adrien sighed deeply, shifting his feet to stand more firmly in place. “Mari, you’ve been trying to tell me something all day. You know you can be honest with me about anything. Was it something I did?”

“No!” Marinette shrugged subtly, “well, technically. But not in a bad way!”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better!”

Plagg flew in-between them from another room. “Wait for me! I’m packed and ready now.” He proudly lifted his slice of camembert hanging from a string.

“No, Plagg. I don’t think I can explain the two glowing orbs that appear in my jacket when I’m under the spotlight as ‘my insecurities’ again and get away with it.” Adrien deadpanned.

“Continuity! It’d be more suspicious if I didn’t make another appearance~”

Adrien grumbled, “Fine. But only one more time. I’ll work on a joke to edit you out of the script for the next one.”

“Hmph,” Plagg threw a pitiful gaze to Marinette, “Hawkmoth is gone and suddenly he doesn’t want me around anymore. That’s the thanks I get.”

Adrien slouched, “Aw, Plagg, it’s not like that-”

The cat kwami waved his tiny paw, “Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re just protecting me and Marinette. Anyway, let’s go. Bye, Marinette. Later, Sugarcube!~”

Tikki smiled from Marinette’s pocket. “Be good, Stinky Cat.”

Adrien shook his head. “Alright, I’ll head out then,” he pointed directly at Marinette’s nose, “but this isn’t over yet.”

As Adrien finally closed the door behind him, Marinette fell onto the couch and groaned. She peered down at Tikki, “Why have you been in my pocket?”

“I got so tired from all of the Adrien-tailing,” Tikki floated out of her resting spot. “You haven’t changed much at all, Marinette.”

“I know,”  Marinette sighed, dragging her hand down her face. “What am I going to do?”

“Well if you wait until tomorrow, you’ll have to tell him you’ve known since yesterday. That might make him a little sad.”

“I’m definitely going to tell him today! I just… I just need to figure out a method quickly.”

Tikki lifted her paw to her forehead, “This is Operation Cinderella! You have to tell him before midnight.”

Marinette nodded, “And my next chance is dinner. Maybe I can drop hints with what I prepare.”

* * *

 

“No champagne?” Adrien grinned.

          Marinette blushed, “Ha ha… no… I can’t.”

          “Okay,” he scooted his chair in further and munched on a handful of nuts as Marinette set out a soup.

         She scowled. Everything went over his head, it was like he wanted to get it out of her with as much difficulty as possible. “You do know _why_ I can’t, right?”

“Because you said you wanted to cut down on the alcohol while we were trying? So you’ve been skipping most nights except when your period hits. We’ve been doing this since the doctor recommended it last month.”

Ah. Right. Of course skipping alcohol tonight wouldn’t stand out. “So that was just your way of asking if I was on my period?”

Adrien shook his head slightly as he chewed. “Well… I guess, but actually, it was my way of asking if you were still in the mood for tonight. I’ve seen you cheat with champagne a few times since it’s so light, but never within twenty-four hours of sex.”

“Wha- no that’s not what I wanted.”

“Then what did you want?”

“I wanted to tell you something.”

Adrien snapped his fingers, “Ah! That’s right, we never did get back to that. Thanks for reminding me,” he pursed his lips as she lowered her head, “Come on, Princess, I’m worried and I want to help you.”

Marinette stared down at her bowl of soup and smiled, “Yes, I know, you always have.”

He smiled back, but a little sadly. “Then what’s the problem?”

She reached across the table to grab his hands. “There is no problem, trust me. Consider it stage fright. No matter what, you’ll know soon. Just be patient with me.”

Adrien squeezed her hands. “Ok, I understand.”

* * *

Chat Noir leapt from the balcony with a question on his lips. He knew not to set that question free, because it would only result in the same answer Marinette had been giving him for the entire day. He’d been told it was nothing negative, but he couldn’t help his anxiety. It wasn’t necessarily the equivalent of opening Christmas presents, not when Marinette made such troubled faces every time he brought it up. But nothing could be done about it. As long as Marinette was safe and well, he could bear the wait.

Marinette lingered on the balcony long after Chat Noir had disappeared. She stared out thoughtfully, leaning over the railing. He wouldn’t be back until midnight. She’d sworn to herself that she would tell him before then, so she had officially failed. Ladybug could chase after him in an act of desperation, but the nausea and dizzy spells she had that morning made her a bit nervous when it came to doing backflips across Paris. She could transform simply to call him back over, but that would worry him _and_ take him from his duties.

“Come on, Tikki,” Marinette pouted and marched back inside. “I can’t let this wait any longer.”

Tikki flew up beside her, “Are we going to follow him?”

“Yes.”

“It won’t be easy to catch up with him.”

“Don’t worry,” Marinette grabbed her purse, “I know where he’s headed. The same spot as always.”

Marinette locked the front door and walked into the warm summer night. She immediately knew that if Adrien could see her he’d have a heart attack, no one should be walking alone at night. But it was still early enough that the streets were busy enough for Marinette to feel relatively safe. She decided to stop by a bakery just before it closed—  snagging the last passionfruit cupcake —before hopping on the subway.

“Be careful, Marinette, the parts of Paris we’re headed to are quiet, so it could be dangerous.”

“I know, that’s why we camp out there. I’ll be fine as long as I make a beeline for Chat Noir.”

  


Chat Noir settled down onto the flat roof and switched to the police station on his baton. He sighed as he placed the baton against the ledge. Serious-sounding voices spoke through white-noise as he watched over the streets in front of him. He leaned over when he heard footsteps directly below him. It was August and his mother; he was getting so tall. Chat Noir smiled at them as they waved.

He continued to be mindful of every movement in his field of view, all the while listening to the police station. Once again, he perked up as he heard someone approaching to his left. His jaw dropped, “Marinette?!”

Marinette smiled shyly and lifted a small paper bag. Chat Noir raised an eyebrow and smirked, he was still a little concerned but it was better to appreciate that she was fine rather than what could have happened. He extended his baton to the ground and lowered himself to meet Marinette, “What’s all of this?”

Chat Noir wrapped his arm around Marinette’s waist and brought her up to safety on the rooftop.

“I just wanted to surprise you,” Marinette pressed her hand against his chest.

He chuckled, “Well, it worked. This isn’t very like you.”

“Well, you go out of your way for me, so I’ll go out of my way for you,” she handed him the paper bag.

“For a _pastry_?” Chat opened the bag and reached inside.

Marinette’s eyes widened as he grabbed something and took it out. She slouched her shoulders, he had found the cupcake first.

He brought it to his nose, “Is this passion fruit?” His smile widened in honor of his favorite flavor. Then he scrunched brow, “Is it going to be my birthday soon?” Had he forgotten his own birthday? What day was it?

“It will be _someone’s_ birthday. And—” Marinette reached over to open the bag for him again. Chat reached in as prompted, feeling something small and soft. He brought his hand out in a fist, slowly unfolding it to reveal purple booties.

“Oh, these are cute!” He squeaked.

“—it’s about to be Father’s Day.”

Chat Noir froze. His eyes moved slowly toward Marinette. “No way…”

Marinette’s throat suddenly went hot, a heat that spread all the way to her face and down to her chest. Her lungs felt collapsed. So she simply nodded with a trembling smile.

“ _No!_ ” He jumped forward and grabbed Marinette’s hands, smiling cautiously in case he was misunderstanding… or dreaming!

Her voice burst out somewhere between bubbly laughter and sobbing, “I’m pregnant!— Oof!”

Chat Noir scooped her up into a hug, “Finally! I mean— oh, Marinette… we did it.”

“Of course we did.”

“W-we have to tell… everyone!”

“Yes! I’d like to tell our parents first, but should we tell Rena when she comes in for her shift?”

“Oh, no!” Chat Noir jumped to his feet with Marinette still in his arms, “you aren’t staying up that late, My Lady. I’ll call her up with some other excuse, I need to get you home. You need to get as much rest as possible starting now.”

“Yeah, while I can still get it…” Marinette chuckled.

Chat packed the paper bag and handed it back to Marinette to hold onto as he retrieved his baton. He smiled guiltily, “I’m sorry, Princess, I’ll do everything in my power to make things easier for you. We’re a team, remember?”

Marinette clung to his neck and kissed his cheek. “I know. I love you, Adrien.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Key Factor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Unfortunately for us, they know where babies come from, so we’ll just have to deal with the subtext that comes with it.”  
> “...Don’t tell Alya about this conversation, ok?”  
> “I would never.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> were the "funny" parts necessary? No.  
> do i regret them? Absolutely not.

Adrien grabbed his keys from the kitchen drawer. It was fifteen minutes after nine, around the time for them to head to the Dupain-Cheng bakery and have breakfast, and around thirty minutes from starting to panic. From this day forward, Marinette’s parents weren’t going to look at him the same way. He felt sick to his stomach, selfishly. He wanted someone else to drive, selfishly. He wanted to skip ahead nine months and get it over with, selfishly. It was supposed to be Marinette who felt these things, wasn’t it? What business did he have feeling this way? 

“Adrien, what’s wrong? You’re pacing all over the room and it’s making me nervous.”

“Oh, sorry, Marinette, I… I’ll just sit down…” 

“Why? Aren’t we leaving? If you aren’t feeling well we can—”

“No! You’re ready? I’m ready too, let’s go, I-I have the keys…” 

“Adrien… you sound like me when I was a teenager.” 

“I know! It’s… I do?” Adrien blinked at Marinette as she gave him a once over. He was shifting from one foot to the other, he couldn’t stop rubbing two keys against each other, and—once she finally took the keys from him—Marinette realized his hands were sweating. 

She sighed, smiling softly at her husband, “Adrien, my parents love you.”

Adrien echoed her sigh, “I know that…”

“I know you know,” Marinette squeezed Adrien’s shoulder and brought her hand to his cheek, “because I told you before our wedding too. Hey, since when has The Great Chat Noir had so much trouble adjusting to new things?” 

“Ha… I can learn to control powers, but I can’t control how your parents look at me.” 

“Sure, but you don’t have to feel so restricted, they aren’t going to suddenly think less of you." 

“But it isn’t suddenly! Lots of big changes are happening! I… I know your parents are different, but ever since we started dating, things have been so amazing. And it feels like a second chance to stay in line, and keep my parents happy. When Maman disappeared, Pere never told me what happened, and it’s felt like it was somehow my fault this whole time. And it didn’t help when he suddenly stopped talking to me. I can’t afford to screw up and lose anyone else.” 

Adrien took a deep breath. After realizing he’d been rambling, he grabbed a lock of his hair and looked at Marinette apologetically. She looked a bit upset herself, her brow knotted and her top lip jutted out in her signature pout. 

He quickly opened his mouth to end the conversation, “Sorry, I’m overreacting—”

“Don’t apologize! I can’t believe I never knew you felt so much pressure from my parents! All this time?!”

“Sorry…” 

Marinette grabbed his arm and pulled him into a hug, “Adrien, I can’t tell you whether you’re right about what happened with your parents, but what I can tell you is that my parents and I are _absolutely_ your family. For good, you can’t get rid of us even if you try! Got it?” 

Adrien didn’t say anything, but Marinette felt his head nod on her shoulder. 

“And about what you said a few nights ago, you know there’s no way you could fail me, right? I’m not some teacher that’s evaluating you. We’re a team, and if anything doesn’t go the way we planned, it’s not your fault. I don’t know what it is you’re afraid of specifically, but if—God forbid—my parents make you feel overwhelmed about being the father of their grandchild—”

“Oh, _God_ …”

“—tell me immediately, and I won’t hesitate to give them a piece of my mind!” 

“I…” 

“You’re going to be an amazing dad, I know it.” 

Marinette heard him sniffle sharply as he proceeded to croak something out, “I-I’m not.. s-supposed to… t-t-this is y-your day…” 

“Shhh…” she rubbed his back and pushed on his shoulders to look him in the face, “no, it’s _our_ day. It’s not my baby, it’s ours.”

Adrien leaned his forehead on Marinette’s and closed his eyes, “...We’re having a baby…” 

She laughed, “Yeah, think you can handle that?” 

“Definitely.” 

“Feeling better?” 

“A bit…” 

“Ok, I’ll drive.” 

Adrien lifted his head, “What?! I can’t let you do that!” 

“Well, I don’t think you should be driving, I want you to relax.” 

“You need to relax _more,_ you’re growing a human!” 

Marinette snorted, “You make it sound like I’m consciously putting every cell together myself. I’m fine and perfectly capable of driving.” 

Adrien stared at the keys in Marinette’s hand. “We have to agree on something fast or we’re going to be late.” 

 

* * *

 

Marinette squirmed as crowds of people surrounded her seat. The air was becoming warmer and she couldn’t breathe without smelling a symphony of strange body odors. She could feel Adrien’s eyes on her the whole time. The train doors clicked shut. 

“Mari, I’m _so_ sorry…” 

“It’s perfectly fine, Adrien, this way we can both take it easy anyway.” 

“I’ll make it up to you…” 

“You can make it up to me by holding my hand and discussing names with me.” 

“I can do that, of course.” 

“And promising me that you’ll act natural so my parents don’t suspect anything ahead of time…” 

Adrien cringed, “What do I normally act like?” 

“ _Adrien,_ I already told you, there’s nothing to be afraid of!”

“But that doesn’t change the fact that this is still a difficult thing to announce.” 

“Good, it’s supposed to be, it’s huge news!” 

“Yeah, but it’s also kind of awkward.”

“Awkward? What like… Adrien, they don’t need me to announce that I’m pregnant to know we’ve been having sex. They aren’t dumb.” 

“It— I never said they didn’t know! I don’t like thinking about it is all… it feels so odd. Now it’s like that’s the first thing that’ll pop into their heads.” 

“They aren’t teenagers, they’re more mature than that. And we’re _married_ , they don’t see you as some irresponsible boy who’s corrupting me. Unfortunately for us, they know where babies come from, so we’ll just have to deal with the subtext that comes with it.” 

“...Don’t tell Alya about this conversation, ok?” 

“I would never.” 

 

* * *

 

Adrien and Marinette collectively held their breath as soon as they were asked how their week was. Tom and Sabine were passing serving plates around when they finally gave an opening. The question gave an opportunity to easily bring up the biggest change in their lives. Adrien wasn’t really sure what he was supposed to do, but he did know that Marinette had every reason to be the spokesperson. And yet, when he looked over, she didn’t seem like usual herself. Or rather, not her current self, her behavior was otherwise very familiar; red in the face and wide-eyed. 

“ _How_ was our week? Well… good. Very good, actually—you could even say amazing!” Marinette tore her slice of a baguette to shreds as she spoke.

“We’re so glad to hear that, Sweetheart, hard to imagine anything less when you have Adrien by your side,” Tom winked at a suddenly very stiff Adrien and held out a bowl for them to look at, “either of you want a hard-boiled egg?”

“I have eggs!” Marinette blurted, then quickly correcting herself when her father raised an eyebrow at her plate, “I mean, I love my good eggs! I MEAN, you’re so good at cooking eggs!” 

“Easy…” Adrien grabbed Marinette’s hand and brought it under the table. 

Sabine tilted her head. “What’s got you so excited, Dear?”

Marinette sighed, “Well… I didn’t imagine it like this, but,” she and Adrien looked at each other, “we’re having a baby.” 

Her parents blinked back at her silently. “What?” Tom squinted. 

“ _Oh no_ ,” Adrien grinned uncomfortably, “it’s too soon, isn’t it? And it’s my fault, I’m so—”

“No, we didn’t understand what she said… you two are very nervous, are you sure your week was good? Did something bad happen?” 

“Nothing bad happened, Papa. I was trying to say that… I’m pregnant.” 

Tom shot out of his chair and gasped. He ran around the table and scooped the couple into his arms. “This is great! You can visit more often to drop the kids off and then—”

“Tom, put them down, and be gentle with Marinette,” Sabine scolded. 

“Oh… oh! Right, my bad. Down you go,” Tom smiled, clasping his hands together. “Awww!~”

Sabine shook her head, “He did that with me too, I was worried he would hurt baby Marinette. Of course, I was young and paranoid over nothing, but I did feel a little sick afterward...”

Adrien chuckled, “Don’t worry, if the hug has anything to do with how Marinette is today, then our baby is going to be incredible.”

Sabine smiled, “I’m so happy for the two of you, this is absolutely wonderful.” She placed her hands over both Adrien and Marinette’s, “And don’t you worry so much about approval or disapproval. That’s got nothing to do with us, we’re happy if you are. Besides, we know you two will be great parents.” 

“Thanks, Belle-Mere, that means so much.”

“If there’s anything I don’t screw up, it’s because of you, Maman.”

Tom, Sabine, and Adrien all spoke over each other. 

“Even with your beautiful imperfections, I know you can—”

“Talking about yourself that way doesn’t—”

“ _My Daughter_?! ‘Screw up’? Impossible!—”

Marinette leaned back, “Alright, alright, I’m sorry! I’m amazing and strong and I can do anything!” 

They nodded. 

“And so is my husband, which is why—as a team—we can do it for sure.” 

Adrien smiled softly, “Well, anyway… let’s not let this food get cold.” 

 

* * *

 

“That went nicely,” Adrien mused.

Marinette, who was walking a few paces ahead of him, looked back at him, “I told you. Even though… none of that went about the way I planned.” 

“That’s why you’re never supposed to plan.”

“You know I can’t do that.” 

“Yeah…that difference of approach we have is why we need each other, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think it’s why we _need_ each other, but it’s why we work together so well. Surprisingly. I think some couples might let small differences get in the way.” 

“Not that it matters for us at this point, but do you believe in opposites attract?”

“Well… magnets seem to show that. But they aren’t extreme opposite, magnets are two opposite sides of the same thing. So let’s leave it at… sort of.”

“Same here. It’s what we have anyway, we aren’t opposites.” 

“I’m glad we aren’t world’s apart, one of us would be super grouchy. By the way, what you said earlier today, does it mean you’d rather not tell your father?” 

Adrien stopped in his tracks and Marinette quickly did the same. “I kind of… do want him to know. But I also don’t want to visit him. Do you want to tell him?” 

“I do… I think it would be best. Who knows, maybe you two can make up and the baby can grow up knowing their grandfather.”

“Make up for what? That’s the funny part, I have no idea why he stopped talking to me… it goes without saying we’ll stop by and then leave. I wouldn’t stay for dinner.” 

“That’s fine, Adrien, it’s really brave that you would face him again to begin with. Now, are we stopping by before lunch with Alya and Nino?” 

“After, let’s save the hours before lunch for looking at baby clothes!” Adrien was suddenly filled with excitement and started taking full strides forward.

Marinette had to move nearly twice as fast to keep up, “You want to _buy_ baby clothes? Why can’t I make it?” 

“You can make a little bit but it’s way too much to be responsible for, do I need to tell you about managing how much pressure you put on yourself again?” 

The lively conversation carried through to the first store (of many) they walked into. Eventually, upon leaving with at least one irresistible item per store, Marinette agreed to buy a reserved amount of clothing so they could go back for more outfits that matched the baby’s personality. 

 

* * *

 

“What the hell, what’s with all the bags? That’s a lot to lug around, shopping spree?” Alya leaned forward to take a closer look at the cluster of colored, paper bags. 

Marinette cringed, immediately running to ask a waiter for a garbage bag she could hide them in. She didn’t have time to mope about Adrien’s smug look toward her unintentional spree, Alya couldn’t find out what she had bought. When she returned with a large, black, plastic bag over her shoulder like a budget Santa, she wanted to scream. 

“Throwing them in one bag doesn’t make me less suspicious, in fact, it’s almost like you went somewhere you’re ashamed of. Now it’s getting juicy~” Alya smirked. 

“Uh…”

“Actually, Alya, she just needed something to make them easier to carry. We didn’t come by car and this was a bit… unexpected,” Adrien grinned. 

“Darn it!” Marinette muttered. 

“Alright, well, Nino’s waiting at our booth over there,” Alya gestured, “let’s go sit down.” 

“Awesome, I’m _so_ hungry!” Marinette waddled awkwardly with her bag, growling when Adrien tried carrying it for her. 

“Marinette, should I even ask?” Nino called. 

 

* * *

 

“So soon?! You guys have barely been married for two years and you must have been trying for at least one year.”

“Oh, well, it’s less that we’ve been ‘trying’ this whole time and more like we haven’t been trying _not_ to try. We started trying pretty recently,” Marinette waved her hand casually. 

Alya’s jaw dropped, “That’s— I mean it totally makes sense for you two 10-year-love-birds but—Nino and I decided to wait a little longer before we get our lives completely flipped upside-down.” 

Adrien gasped, “Flipped? No way! I’ve been waiting for years in excited anticipation of being a dad! Are you kidding? Is it because you grew up with siblings and need a break?” 

“No—I mean, yes living my childhood as a secondary parent-figure definitely weighed in on that, but,” Alya turned to boop Nino’s nose, “I’d like to go on a few more just-the-two-of-us adventures.” 

Nino smiled in agreement, “Anyway, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t totally excited for you dude. We’d better be the godparents.” 

“Obviously!” Marinette jazzed her hands.

“Hell yeah!” Alya pumped her fist, “I get to be the cool one that spoils them!”

Nino dropped his fork on the table, “DAMN IT.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Get ahold of yourself before you knock your wife over. If you have anything more worth my time to talk to me about,” Gabriel flicked his wrist to check his watch, “...you have two minutes.”  
> “I... well…” Adrien looked uneasily to Marinette.  
> She nodded with reassurance, “Monsieur Agreste, Adrien and I are having a baby”


	3. Simply the Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She nodded with reassurance, “Monsieur Agreste, Adrien and I are having a baby”  
> After a long pause, Gabriel finally replied, “I suppose it was going to happen sooner or later.”  
> Adrien scoffed, “This was a waste of time…”  
> “Correct.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if there are any grammatical or spelling mistakes it's because it's 1:30am and im posting this sponaneously

“Are you ready? I can hold your hand the whole time if you want,” Marinette whispered to Adrien before pressing the intercom. “My other hand will be free so I can punch him in the nose if you say the word.” 

Adrien laughed and looked down at his shoes. 

“What should the code word be? Hamster? It can be hamster.” 

“Hamster it is,” he held his hand out and Marinette took it.

She then pressed the intercom. 

“What is it?— Oh, Marinette?” 

“Uh… yeah, hi Nathalie! Adrien and I are here to talk to Mr. Agreste. Even if just for… five minutes. Please?” 

“... I’ll see what I can do.” 

The gates of the Agreste mansion opened to welcome the couple in. Adrien muttered something to himself and walked in with Marinette. All of the decors looked the same. Surprisingly, the painting of Adrien and his father was still up; unnervingly large and more accurate than ever. What Adrien really wanted to do was go upstairs and see what his room looked like. Was it left untouched? Emptied out? Perhaps it had been replaced with an Emilie Agreste gallery. Adrien wouldn’t really know what was going on in his father’s head until he saw the inside of that room. 

Still, he couldn’t. He wasn’t here for that. They were quickly informing Gabriel of his grandchild and leaving, like planting a bomb. Whether Gabriel took it well or disapproved was his problem. Regrettably, it was his right to know. More importantly, it was only fair to open that door for their future baby. Even if Gabriel was to be kept out of the child’s life, said-child would get older and ask eventually. The least Adrien could do as a parent was to offer a life with a grandfather that knew his grandchild existed. This was for his family, he couldn’t make it about himself. 

“Ah, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng,” Gabriel announced as he descended the marble stairs.

Adrien’s eye twitched. 

“ _Excuse me,”_ Gabriel continued, “Madame and _Monsieur_ Dupain-Cheng.” 

“Are you serious?! You haven’t spoken to me because I changed my last name?!” Adrien finally caved, letting go of Marinette’s hand for a moment before realizing and clinging to her again. 

“Is that what you’re here about? It wasn’t me who didn’t speak to you, it was the other way around. Now if you’re just going to whine—”

“That’s a lie! You cut me out of your life!” 

Marinette tried wrapping her arm around Adrien’s waist, bracing herself as he became more excited. “Adrien…”

“Get ahold of yourself before you knock your wife over. If you have anything more worth my time to talk to me about,” Gabriel flicked his wrist to check his watch, “...you have two minutes.” 

“I... well…” Adrien looked uneasily to Marinette. 

She nodded with reassurance, “Monsieur Agreste, Adrien and I are having a baby”

After a long pause, Gabriel finally replied, “I suppose it was going to happen sooner or later.” 

Adrien scoffed, “This was a waste of time…” 

“Correct.”

“No! Monsieur Agreste, please, don’t you think this needless fighting has gone long enough? I’ll admit, we weren’t sure if you cared… but I wanted to tell you anyhow because it’s a second chance,” Marinette interrupted, causing Gabriel tilt his head curiously. “Don’t you want to be part of our baby’s life? I’m just gonna go out and say it, Sir, I don’t think you feel the way you act.”

Gabriel furrowed his eyebrows. 

“After all those years of being protective and proud of him, and now you mean to tell me you want nothing to do with your son? I’m sorry, but that’s bullshit. You wanna know what I think? I think something happened for you to suddenly break him off, and you kept it going over time because you were too proud to show regret. And this,” Marinette gestured to her abdomen, “was your opportunity to quietly turn over a new leaf, but you had to stay on your high horse through and through, and it’s come to _me_ lecturing _you_ in front of your son.” 

The room remained quiet. Adrien felt light-headed. Nathalie looked more like she was watching a soap opera as opposed to silently waiting for her boss. Most unnerving of all, Gabriel extended his hand to Marinette. She studied his hand suspiciously, then looked him in the eye and clasped her hand against his. 

“I underestimated you, you’re certainly ready for motherhood. You’re supportive, gentle, yet firm; that’s excellent. You’ve changed since the last time we spoke.” 

“Great, and now it’s _your_ turn. Deal?” Marinette tightened her grip as Gabriel tried to tug his hand free. “I won’t let go until you give me a straight answer.” 

Gabriel smiled, “Alright. I’ll take your offer… and,” he looked to Adrien, “maybe we can talk things through. I do want to be involved in the child’s upbringing. There are many things I did that I regret, and I hope to make up for it this way.” 

She let go and smiled back, “Thank you.”

“And Adrien, I’m only going to say this once, it’s not about the last name. It never was, this whole mess started far before you got married. Let’s plan to meet after today and talk in private, there’s a lot I haven’t told you.”

Adrien nodded slowly, “...Ok.” 

Nathalie cleared her throat, “Be sure not to forget your… large… bag.” She held up the black trash bag they had left at the door. 

Marinette groaned. “Oh right, that…”

* * *

 

Adrien could barely make it down the front stairs without Marinette’s help. He found himself looking around in confusion. He wasn’t sure he knew where he was. The mansion certainly _looked_ like his childhood home and the man inside certainly _looked_ like his father, and yet there was a drop of doubt somehow. 

“Marinette?” 

“Yes, Adrien?” 

“What the hell just happened?” 

Plagg snickered from Adrien’s shirt, “Your dad wet his pants, tried brushing it off casually, and became Marinette’s little bit-” 

“That was amazing, Marinette! I’m so happy Monsieur Agreste came around so easily,” Tikki squeaked from Marinette’s purse. 

“Awesome job, girl!” Plagg lifted his paw to Marinette for a tiny high-five. 

“So that was real? He really just accepted all of that?” Adrien blinked. 

“Apparently,” Marinette smiled proudly to herself. 

Adrien took the trash bag from Marinette and lugged it over his own shoulder, “Thank you… for all of that. You always end up saving me, don’t you, Princess? I owe you big-time.” 

“No way, you’re the one who always comes to my rescue, I want to do the same for you. Anyway, let’s go home, today has been a rollercoas—”

“Adrien? Marinette?” 

The couple turned to the road beside them where a limo came to a stop. The dark windows rolled down and a glittery blonde stuck her head out. 

“Chloe?! Wow, funny meeting you like this…” Marinette did her best to smile. 

Chloe scowled through her sunglasses, then gasped, “Oh my God, you’re pregnant.” 

“I— what?! How did you know?!” 

“It’s obvious, you look terrible. Tired and sickly.”

“Hey!” 

“You’ve definitely gained weight, too, especially around your face.”

Marinette pressed her hands against her cheeks, squishing them self-consciously, “I have _not_ gained weight, there’s no way I would have already—”

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you stay in shape and anything else you need. I’ll call you, honey, you aren’t losing good young self to pregnancy…” 

“What are you trying to say?” 

“Woohoo, I’m an Auntie! Catch you two lovebirds later, bye!~” 

And like a fever dream, Chloe’s car disappeared down the road. Leaving an emotionally exhausted duo to catch flies in their mouths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You're back!"  
> "Yeah... and I have your food, I think. Check to make sure I didn't forget anything."  
> "You went to McDonalds to grab fries."  
> "Yes."  
> "And you got a cotton candy blizzard from Dairy Queen."  
> "...Yes."  
> "Then mixed it all together with hummus."  
> "I sure did and I think I'm crying."


	4. Comfort Feud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After celebrating the ups of pregnancy, Marinette is finally reminded of the cruel downs of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reeaally can't wait to get the point after the baby is born because hOoo boy have I been thinking about some fun scenes 
> 
> in the meantime I hope you all have fun with this one

“Blech,” Marinette crept deeper under the covers, “whose idea was it to grow a whole human inside of me?”  
She curled into a ball and turned on her side, making eye contact with Adrien just in time to catch his pale expression. “I’m joking, Silly!”   
    Adrien slouched beside her and pet her hair, “Yeesh. You scared me for a second there, Princess!”  
    “What? Like it was going to be all your fault if I really did feel regret?”   
    “Yes!”   
    Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. She grabbed Adrien’s hand from the top of her head and scowled at him. “You realize ‘It takes two to tango’ also means ‘it takes two to win a tango contest’, right?”   
    “Hey, in my defense, some people don’t consider a baby much of a prize.”   
    “Am I one of those people?!”   
    “No… unless you were to change your mind?”   
    Marinette huffed, “We literally discussed trying for a baby for weeks. This was planned. So even if I did change my mind, I wouldn’t blame you all of the sudden.”   
    Adrien shifted his hand in Marinette’s grasp and rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand. “You’re right, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put you in a bad mood.”  
    She smiled and pulled him down to lay against her, “Don’t worry, I was already in a bad mood and almost constantly will be.”   
    “I’m not sure that’s comforting…”  
    “But you help,” Marinette ran a finger down the bridge of Adrien’s nose, “you always have.”   
    Adrien leaned forward and kissed her. Five times, once to brush lightly against her lips, a second time just to hear that lovely sound a quick peck makes, a third time to reach a corner of her lips he decided he hadn’t warmed enough, a fourth time to let her kiss him back, and a fifth time to meet together and consume each other whole. Though the fifth time could easily count as more than one kiss.   
She gnawed at his bottom lip and he hummed, moving away from her to speak, “Would breakfast help too?”   
“It would,” Marinette giggled.   
Adrien kissed her forehead and got up immediately, “I’ll make something quickly. Savory or sweet?”  
“Yes.”  
“Got it, Bug.” He left the bedroom, laughing.   
Marinette watched him leave and turned to Tikki, “Ugh, or maybe neither. I don’t know what I want.”  
“Well, are you hungry?” Tikki blinked.  
“I am. I think. Most women get really nauseous and loss of appetite. I keep wanting to eat and feeling nauseous back and forth, is that normal?”  
“Nothing is consistent enough to be considered the absolute normal condition in pregnancy, if you ask me.”  
Plagg trilled from in between Marinette and Adrien’s pillows, poking his head out sleepily, “Would camembert help?”  
Tikki frowned, “Ew, Plagg, no!-”   
“Actually,” Marinette pursed her lips, “that… does sound good.”   
Plagg grinned and flew off to find his stash. Tikki stared at the ground, not terribly surprised, but not fully recovered from the sucker-punch Marinette’s words had been.  Rather than stick around, Tikki decided to chase after Adrien to live in peaceful ignorance.   
“This is my best batch!” Plagg looked like he had never felt such excitement in his entire life, “it just melts in your mouth.”   
    “Hit me,” Marinette extended an open hand to Plagg.   
    He placed a generous slice in her palm and waited with large eyes.   
    Marinette studied it and quickly popped the whole thing in her mouth. Her shoulders fell and her head rolled to the side. For a moment she looked like she had forgotten how to open her eyes, they stayed blissfully shut as she chewed with a new found energy. “Mmmm, Plagg, you’re going to have to learn to share more often.”   
    “Between you and me, I look forward to it! Finally someone who appreciates the most beautiful food in the world.”   
    “Not the most beautiful food, just the most beautiful existence altogether…”   
    “Now you’re speaking my language!”

       

* * *

  
“How’s this?” Adrien settled a plate of fruits, eggs, and a large croissant in front of Marinette.   
Marinette stared at the eggs, “Does it have camembert?”   
“I— it could…” Adrien mused.   
“No, I’m kidding, mostly. It looks amazing, God, I love you.” Marinette plucked her fork from the table and stacked eggs and a strawberry onto one biteful.   
Adrien blushed at Marinette’s casual sentiment, “You’re welcome… but since when do you care about camembert?”  
“Camembert…” Marinette muttered oddly. “Hit me again Plagg.”   
Adrien stared as Plagg flew over her shoulder and dropped a heinous blob onto her plate, “What?”   
He suppressed a shutter as Marinette proceeded to mash the eggs, camembert, and half a banana into her croissant. She then dipped the whole… sandwich… into a glass of orange juice and bit off as much as she could.   
“Th-that’s…” Adrien squeaked helplessly.   
“—The most amazing thing I’ve ever seen!” Plagg finished.   
“Oh Plagg, you have to try some,” Marinette smacked her lips.   
“Unbelievable…” Adrien mumbled.   
“I would love to try it, but without the orange juice, not a fan of citrus.”   
“No problem, Plagg, there’s a dry corner with your name on it.”   
“My humble gratitude,” Plagg bowed and took the chunk of… it. “Oh, Marinette, this is genius… and the smell. You know what would make this better?”   
Marinette and Plagg smiled at each other as they simultaneously said, “Peanut butter.”   
“Why?!” Adrien flinched as Marinette launched from her seat and walked over to a cabinet. He watched in horror as she opened a jar of peanut butter and spread a good spoonful onto the top of the sandwich. “I think I should leave…”  
Tikki’s sobbing could be heard in the distance.   
         

* * *

  
“That was perfect,” Marinette drawled.   
“I’m glad you think so…” Adrien shook his head.   
“Hey, at least my appetite improved.”   
Tikki groaned from Adrien’s shirt pocket, “This is the worst part of every pregnancy.”   
“All the thousands of years you’ve lived and you still aren’t used to it, Tikki?” Adrien scratched Tikki’s head.   
“It’s impossible!”   
“Alright, you two, I’m done eating! Can we move on from it now?” Marinette rolled her eyes.  
“I’m sorry, My Lady, it was just so hard to watch…”   
“You didn’t have to watch!”  
    “Well we… also couldn’t look away.”   
“Sounds like a personal problem,” Marinette grumbled.   
    “Aw, Mari, did I upset you?”   
Tikki cringed at Adrien’s tone; he meant well but he probably had no idea how patronizing he sounded.   
“No, and anyway I’d better get going or I’ll be late,” Marinette stood up and turned on her heel, stopped for a moment to keep the room from spinning, then marched down the hall.   
“Marinette! Are you alright? Oh no…” Adrien brushed his bangs aside and pressed his hand to his forehead, “I’m already going about this all wrong.”   
“Don’t beat yourself up, Adrien, I hate to say it but there’s nothing you can do to avoid upsetting her when she’s like this. All you can do for her is your best.”   
“No… the only thing keeping her from staying happy is that I’m not adjusting to her new circumstances. I’ll do better.” Adrien grabbed the plates and placed them into the sink, then followed Marinette into the bedroom.   
She was throwing papers and folders and patches of fabric into various compartments of a satchel while quickly picking out pieces of clothing to wear. She threw her bag onto the bed and made her way to the bathroom, leaving a trail of discarded pajamas and underwear.   
“You know, if you aren’t feeling great today you can just stay home. I’ll spend the day with you.” Adrien attempted.   
“Then I may as well stay home the whole time I’m pregnant. I can’t do that, I want to save my weeks off for when it really counts.” Marinette shouted over running water.   
“You’ll… you’ll be coming for lunch break, though, right?” Adrien neared the bathroom doorway but didn’t enter.   
“...Adrien, come here.”   
He peered into the bathroom shyly. “Yes?”   
Marinette stood right outside the shower, looking tenderly toward Adrien. “What’s wrong? What makes you think I wouldn’t come over for break?”   
“I… I keep making you angry and I don’t know how to fix that.”   
“Angry? I was annoyed at most. You thought I was going to avoid spending time with you because you cringed at my food?”   
“...Yes?”   
“Oh, Kitty, you’re making me want to take the day off just for you.”   
“No, you had a point, you should make sure every day you take off counts! You have a lot of responsibilities for you boutique…”   
“I wouldn’t let them get in the way of you or the baby, you know that. On that note, I do have to tell my employees why I would be taking weeks off in the future. And then that means I have to hire some sort of assistant or something uggh…” Marinette sighed, “Anyway, relax a little, Adrien. You haven’t done anything wrong, ok?”   
“That’s the problem, I think I’m too relaxed!”  
“You’re never too relaxed…”  
“Neither are you.”   
“Never said otherwise. We’ll talk more later, ok? We actually have plenty to talk about when I get back.”   
“Ok, I won’t keep you from your shower any longer. I’ll be right out here if you need me.”   
Marinette laughed, “I’ll let you know if I need you to wash my back or pick me up from the floor.”   
“Marinette, that’s not funny!”   
“Aww, Chaton…”   
 

* * *

  
Marinette wiped sweat from her forehead, this time with a proper hand towel. She had accidentally used her new fabrics the last three times. She was lucky she had Tikki, who kept pushing glasses of water toward Marinette. That, and the fact that she had gotten multiple questions of concern from her employees, made her realize maybe a half-day wouldn’t hurt at least. But if that was her decision, she couldn’t go home until she told everyone the news.   
“Ok, Tikki, Adrien was right. I can’t take this today…” Marinette opened her blazer, “I’m going to call a meeting, hide.”   
“Marinette, I don’t think he meant that you couldn’t do it—”  
“We’ll talk later, I need to lie down.”   
Marinette stepped outside of her office and saw that things were a bit busy with customers. “Sandrine?” She called out to her manager.   
“Yeah?”   
“I’m going to need to talk to all of you during lunch break, just for a bit. So, please stick around after we wrap things up.”  
“I’ll let everyone know.”  
“Thank you.” Marinette stumbled back into her office to pack her things. She didn’t know what she was going to do, only that she had to do something different. Specifically, she wanted it to involve running into her husband’s arms and being rocked to sleep.   
Once the last customers before break had left, her 4 employees gathered in her office. She rubbed circles on her thigh, possibly thinking of Adrien, and cleared her throat. “I just wanted to let everyone know that I’ll be heading out for the rest of the day, if you all think you can handle it. The truth is, if you can, I might not be in the office as consistently for a while. You probably noticed I haven’t been feeling very well today, and well… it’s not because I’m sick. Two weeks ago, I found out I was pregnant.” Marinette tried to keep her voice serious and professional, but she was excited to tell everyone, so a small giggle slipped out at the end.   
“Oh my God!” Sandrine also slipped up a bit.   
The group in front of her stirred with congratulatory excitement.  
“But,” Marinette cut back in, “I’m supposed to be here. You guys are less my employees and more… my teammates. We run this store together. Obviously, I would be working from home, but if you ever needed me and I wasn’t here I—”  
“Marinette,” Sandrine smiled, “With all due respect, we barely interact directly with you unless we’re meeting to plan a new line. Sometimes we need to double check things with you, but that’s easily done with a quick text message. You can just come down for meetings… we’ll be OK.”  
“Yeah, most shop owners don’t have as many employees as you do, let alone a manager,” a part-timer named Oliver pointed out.   
Marinette looked down at her desk, “It feels like I’m bailing on my own boutique.”   
Sandrine planted a hand on her hip, “I’m going to say this as a friend… the boutique depends on you, of course! If you don’t want to feel like you’re abandoning it, just don’t nap all day!”  
“I would never do that! I’ll even stay on Skype the whole time if I have to… I don’t know how to explain it, I just can’t focus here, I’m sorry you guys.”  
“Sure, go home to your ex-supermodel husband to focus better,” Sandrine laughed.   
Marinette frowned.   
“Oh man, I’m sorry, that was a terrible joke. Look, we’ll figure this out, ok? It’s worse if you don’t feel your best every day, right?”   
“If you’re sure…”   
“Of course we’re sure. I can handle watching over everything.”   
“That’s another thing, I should find an assistant.”   
“You mean like a promotion?” asked Liore, the woman beside Sandrine, a little too excitedly.   
Sandrine grinned, “Liore can handle it,” she wrapped an arm around Liore, “We’ll do our best for you.”   
Marinette blinked, “This isn’t supposed to be so easy…”   
“That’s because most people in your shoes don’t make friends with anyone who works for them,” Sandrine snapped a finger gun.   
“This was all so last minute, thank you—all of you—for being so understanding.”   
“Make sure to take good care of yourself, got it?”   
Marinette smiled, “Only if you make sure to call me when you need to, no matter what. I’ll come running.”   
   

* * *

  
Marinette unlocked the door to her home so quietly that once she entered, her husband was nowhere to be found. She was around 20 minutes late thanks to her last-minute decision to pack everything up and go home for the day. She hadn’t told him, so she hoped he wasn’t taking her tardiness the wrong way. Upon glancing at the table, he had prepared something again, and it had been ready for long enough to require a cover. Adrien was so punctual he probably had the table set exactly when she was supposed to arrive—twenty minutes ago.   
She wanted to call out to him and let him know she was home, but she couldn’t find the energy to. Why couldn’t he just have been right there where she needed him like he always was? It was possible that he had just stepped away for a moment, just to use the restroom or work on his set. What Marinette couldn’t stop thinking about was that she had promised to talk to him as soon as lunch break started. How many promises could she break in one day? Forget a day, she was breaking promises from the past, present, and future all in the span of a few hours.   
This day couldn’t get any worse. She had cravings, but was nauseous. She was so ambitious, but didn’t want to move a muscle. Worst of all, she wanted to see Adrien desperately, but didn’t have the heart to find him a and look him in the eye. She sat down on the couch and waited.   
She had work to do.   
It would be nice to watch the sun set at least.   
She couldn’t just sit there.   
Taking a nap at noon would just be perfect.   
What did she come home for?  
“Marinette! I didn’t hear you come in, I’m sorry” Adrien gestured to the table, “Shall we? I knew you were running late so I covered everything.”   
Marinette turned to him wide-eyed, unsure of why Adrien was staring at her the way he was. “Adrien, oh… why am I—”  
“Why are you crying?! How long have you been here?”   
“It’s ok, it’s probably just the whole hormone side-effect, I don’t know what’s happening either.”   
Adrien sat down beside her. He looked her in the eye, “Marinette, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter. There’s no need for excuses, because the way you feel is important no matter what. Tell me everything that’s been on your mind since you arrived.”   
“I wasn’t really thinking about… anyth—” Marinette caved suddenly. A rush of air escaped her lungs, she couldn’t really hear anything, her eyes hurt, her face was hot. Thoughts flashed past her mind’s eye. She saw nothing, but knew everything at once. It was overwhelmingly fast and loud—while everything else was numb—much like a sudden death. A sob swelled in her chest and squeezed through her throat stubbornly, leaping out with determination. 

[](https://adrienaline-rushed-art.tumblr.com/image/189031581419)  
“Okay, don’t rush yourself, you can tell me later,” Adrien rubbed her hand, his heart aching with each whimper, “take a deep breath.”  
“I-I can’t br-breathe!” Marinette clutched her blouse.   
“I’m sorry! Do you need space?” Adrien panicked.   
She shook her head violently, turning to him and reaching her hands out desperately.   
He understood, hugging her tightly and stroking her back. The closer he brought her, the steadier her breathing became. She took a shaky breath, and sighed with relief. Everything became quiet as she laid against his chest, interrupted only by soft sniffles.   
“Do you want me to call Sandrine and let her know you’ll be late?” Adrien asked softly.   
“I’m not going back.”   
“...Oh…”   
Marinette chuckled and rubbed her eyes, “You sound surprised. But you knew it all along, that it was going to be too much for me. I didn’t want it to be true, so I went to work like I always do. Other women could do it, so many pregnant women go to work nearly every day and don’t take time off until their third trimester and after birth. So as soon as I thought to myself that I just had to go home, it felt like I was weaker than everyone else.”   
    “Woah, wait, I never said that. I’ve never thought anything was too much for you—”   
    “But it was this time! And I don’t get it… I’m Ladybug… I’m supposed to be strong enough!”   
    “You are, of course you are. That doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to take care of yourself. Remember you said the boutique doesn’t get in the way of me and the baby? What about you? ‘Able to’ doesn’t mean you should. If this is what you think is best for you, then it’s good that you’ve made that decision. It took strength to control yourself that way,” Adrien lifted Marinette’s chin, “and everyone goes through something different, don’t you dare compare yourself to other women. I don’t really like the word weak, so if you want to be a little ‘less strong’ sometimes, there’s nothing wrong with that.”   
    “But it’s more than just today, I’ve been leaning on you… m-my boutique wouldn’t even be where it is now if—”  
    “No, no, none of that. I helped you because I wanted to, you absolutely did not need me, your success is in your designs.”   
    Marinette quieted.   
    “What else you got? Hit me.”   
    Marinette laughed.   
    “Come on, don’t back out when I’m winning!”  
    She slapped his arm, “It wasn’t a contest!”   
    “Yeah, I know. Neither of us are against each other, I didn’t win. We won. We always do, right?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun writing this but I was a lot less confident posting it because I felt like.. I was barely familiar with my own chapter. The entirety of this chapter was done in the course of multiple sprints, so I just let my hands do the writing and suppressed the urge to second-guess and "perfect". I got two betas, which I send my eternal thanks to, so at least I can feel like it's polished now! 
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	5. Don't Drain the Bath Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just because Marinette's lifestyle is shifting to motherhood, doesn't mean she stopped being Adrien's Lady.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me so long to choose this title but I hope it makes sense.

Breakfast was ready before Adrien had even gotten out of bed, and that was early to begin with. It was 8:00 when the smell of fresh bread and the empty bedside confused him. Although it was clear that Marinette couldn’t have been up for long based on the small puddles in the bathroom, he couldn’t wrap his head around the complete 180 from the morning before. How could she refuse to wake up until 10:00 and get up before 8:00 the next day? 

It only got worse when he entered the kitchen. Bread, boiled eggs, fruits, and assorted nuts sat on the table as Marinette stacked plates into the cabinet. She walked about the kitchen; pouring hot water into two mugs, slicing lemons, wiping the counters. 

It wasn’t until she noticed Adrien that she smiled and sat down at the table with her two mugs. 

“I got us fresh bread from the bakery nearby--”

“You went  _ out _ ?! Why didn’t you wake me up?” Adrien’s eyes scanned her as though she had been injured.

Marinette waved her hand, “Oh I just felt like going for a walk and ended up bringing this back. It just smelled  _ so  _ good. Here, this is for you!”

He silently took the steaming mug from her as he gathered his thoughts. “So… how are you feeling?” 

“ _ Busy _ . Busy, busy, busy, busy… and also hungry, let’s sit down and eat,” she tore off a piece of the baguette as Adrien sat down, “I’ve been waiting to do that… mmm, still warm!” 

Adrien couldn’t help his slack jaw as he watched Marinette smile and hum to herself. He didn’t want to bring up that her good mood was unusual, but he was no expert on what symptoms are good or bad… and he couldn’t stand the uncertainty. Then again, he couldn’t see how any good mood could be a bad symptom unless it was loopiness. But Marinette’s overall behavior wasn’t strange, she seemed fine. 

“Oh, you don’t need to hide when you eat Plagg, I’ve come to terms with it, finally.” She was talking about the doctors orders to stay away from camembert and other soft cheeses in addition to a list of raw foods. Tikki had a frantic outburst after her indirect gentle reminders had failed. Marinette had forgotten it briefly when she suddenly decided to enjoy a few bites. The whole ordeal probably contributed heavily to her depressed state which lasted for weeks. Some weeks she was distraught over having risked her baby’s health, other weeks she simply missed her camembert. 

Adrien tilted his head at her, “When you said you felt busy, did you mean incredibly great?”

“Yeah, but in a way that makes me want to conquer the world, so my head is just rushing with to-do after to-do,” she balanced a boiled egg between her fingertips and began to strike the top with a fork. “I’m not sure where it came from, but I’m gonna ride it out while I can.” 

“Many women tend to have a period of high energy during their second trimester,” Tikki sang. “To me it translates to ‘Yay, you’re almost done!’” 

“I really am, aren’t I? We should narrow down on names…” 

Adrien smiled, “You seemed pretty sure when you said Emma for a girl and Hugo for a boy.” 

“But you had so many nice ones yourself… like Adette, which sounds like our names together,” Marinette pressed a hand to her hot face. She was completely in love with the idea of a name that combined hers and Adrien’s, but she was also extremely torn. The names she had listed had been decided on for years. Maybe that was all the more reason to let them go.

“Let’s make it a middle name. I still like it, but when you said Emma… it reminded me of Maman.”

“Emilie…” Marinette whispered thoughtfully. 

Adrien nodded. 

“And what about your idea of Alaire for a boy?”

“I like Hugo better,” he waved as if to wipe an invisible ‘Alaire’ away. 

“You do not!” Marinette slammed her fist on the table, accidentally squashing the boiled egg she held. 

Adrien placed his hand over Marinette’s wrist, “Look, you asked me to choose names, and I tried to think of some on the spot. Then you shared these three very specific names without hesitation. You really want these names! And I’m more than happy about that.”

Marinette snorted, “You’re happy I named our hypothetical kids before we even started dating?” 

“Well,” he chuckled, “It’s a bit weird, but I forgive you, Bug. I wasn’t so innocent of strange fantasies myself. What I meant was that I’m happy you’re happy. My side of the fantasies are satisfied just by living with you outside of Paris, let’s make your dream family come true.” 

“ _ You  _ are my dream family. The rest happens however it wants to. It’s not like I know for a fact I’ll have two boys and a girl.”

Tikki giggled, “You might just get lucky~”

“And the odds against you might get unlucky,” Plagg grinned.

“Speaking of which, your next ultrasound appointment is coming up. We should talk about… whether we want to know the gender or not,” Adrien sniffed awkwardly, adding, “y-you know, we have to buy more than the newborn clothes we bought, so we can’t really do that until we know we’re going for ‘boy’, ‘girl’, or ‘neutral’.”

“Since when do you care about clothes being aligned to the gender? We would buy neutral clothes regardless of what gender, they can choose their style of clothing as they grow.” 

“No, you’re right, it doesn’t matter what they wear… but I guess that means you don’t want to know?”

“Not really, I think a surprise is better.”

“You hate surprises!”

“This is different, there aren’t many possibilities here, so I’m not really going in blind. I know there’s a baby coming, so that’s plenty!” Marinette watched Adrien’s slow nod, “there’s a specific outfit you want, isn’t there?”

He blinked up at her.

“You already bought it, didn’t you?”

“I  _ DID! _ ” Adrien wailed. He stared up at the ceiling with a face so ashamed, one would think he committed the worst of crimes. 

“Adrien, it’s OK. Let me see it.”

He slouched and got up slowly, shuffling to their bedroom and bringing back a pastel bag. He pulled a small hanger from the bag. It was a casual, bright red, cotton dress with black polka dots. White letters spelled out ‘A Princess? What am I supposed to do with this?’ in cursive. 

“Oh, that  _ is _ cute…”

“ _ See? _ ”

“Tell you what, let’s keep it. I’ll tweak it myself if it’s a boy. Not that our little prince couldn’t wear a dress if he wanted to, but we don’t need to force it on him either. I don’t want my baby having ‘controversial’ attention.”

Adrien nodded seriously, then flashed a dopey smile, “I’m really glad you like it too.” 

“So, you won’t be asking for the gender?” Tikki asked. 

“No, but I have plenty of other questions that I hope don’t vary based on the gender. We’ll have to wait and see,” Marinette shrugged.

“Why don’t you just ask  _ me _ ?” Tikki frowned.

Marinette pouted, “Well some of my questions might be complicated, you could handle  _ any _ question?”

“I wonder…” Tikki deadpanned, “what could the god of creation who has existed since the beginning of time possibly know about procreativity?”

“Ah…” Marinette cringed, “I guess I forgot that part. In that case, you’d better settle down when I get back from work for lunch break, because the list of questions I’ve come up with is  _ long _ .” 

“No worries, Marinette, I’m ready for anything.” 

Marinette took a deep breath and sighed, “Ok,” she unfolded her fist and stared at the demolished boiled egg. She then shrugged and squished the remains into her mouth, “I’d better get ready.” 

Adrien spun the car keys with his index finger through the keyring, “I’ll be ready to drive you whenever.” 

* * *

It had been a while. True, nausea and fatigue made it forgettable, but it was weird to think about. The lack of it wasn’t necessarily wrong or even detrimental to their relationship. It just wasn’t something Marinette had considered. When they were dating, she imagined living together involved a performing certain activity on the daily.  Impossibly naive, especially considering she wanted children, but now that she was at the point of pregnancy, she could never have expected a sudden  _ feeling  _ to wash over her. 

Here was Marinette, in her cozy sweater, staring at her husband from the table and biting her lip. The sun was hitting the back of Adrien’s neck as he stood in front of the counter. It glowed like the spontaneous fireflies children chase after; despite it being dark out and the mercilessness of the mosquitoes, there was an undeniable desire to hold one in the palm of their hand and watch the light flood every crease in their fingers. Whatever he was preparing in front of him must have been delicious. Whatever it was, sat on the counter, right next to his protruding hip. Not to mention how his pants complimented his plump a―

“I hope this will do, you know if you’re weird cravings have calmed down,” Adrien gently set Marinette’s plate in front of her, turning it slightly for the perfect orientation. 

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that…” Marinette tilted her head with a flash of her eyes. 

He started to pull the plate away, “Does it need something else?” 

“No, but I might need something afterward~” 

“Oh? Like what?” Adrien smiled innocently. 

Marinette jutted her bottom lip out. Maybe she was off her game, that was a complete miss. She didn’t know what was different from her usual approach, or at least she didn’t remember, but she put every ounce of flirtation she had into it short of handing him a list of  _ special requests _ . Of course, she wasn’t in the most ideal environment either. A knit sweater and blue jeans wasn’t necessarily the most eye-catching outfit she’d worn in her lifetime. Plus, she didn’t really look or smell refreshed, “I don’t know, maybe a bath…” 

“ _ Now? _ ” 

“You’re one to talk,  _ Agreste _ .”

“Hey, I’m not an Agreste anymore.” 

Marinette took her plate back and stabbed at the pile of kale, “I know, but your frequent showers were such an Agreste thing to do.” 

“Which is why they’re in the past. Actually, I never was  _ really  _ showering, but I get that it was easy to see me doing it…  _ anyway _ . I meant that a bath right now would be kind of rushed, wouldn’t it? After you finish eating, how much time will you have before you have to go to work?” 

“I’ll be as late as I want to be, thank you very much.” 

“Oh! Excuse me,” Adrien bowed playfully, “My Lady, shall I draw you a bath?”

Marinette laughed into her next bite, then turned her fork over and nodded as she swallowed, “Sure.” 

“Your wish is my command,” he kissed her forehead and sat down across from her, “as soon as I finish eating.” 

* * *

As Marinette tugged her sweater over her head, Tikki was sprinkling bath salts and humming to herself. Being herself, Tikki was excited for this change in mood, completely prepared for any questions Marinette threw over. “He’ll never know what hit him when you go out smelling like…” she squinted at the bath salt label, “Mystical Forest Rose.” 

Met with silence, Tikki look over at Marinette, who stood in front of a mirror with her jeans at her feet and her sweater on the sink. “Marinette?” 

“...he wouldn’t even know I was trying to hit him with anything.”

Marinette blinked slowly at her reflection, dark circles suddenly evident underneath her eyes. Her hand ran over the mound that stood between her and her body.  _ Her  _ body. The one without the ever-blooming stretch marks and the swollen limbs and the bowling ball. The one with toned muscles and slick curve and smooth skin. Why couldn’t she put this new form away for just a little while? To slip out of her cage and back into her partner’s realm. It wasn’t really her. She hadn’t really taken the time to critique herself until now. She hadn’t considered how much sense Adrien’s responses made. How could she not have noticed? Of course he didn’t respond to her flirtations. She was completely undesirable. 

“You mean…? Oh, Marinette, I’m sure Adrien doesn’t mind,” Tikki murmured. 

“‘Not minding’ isn’t really comforting either,” Marinette hugged herself, “I wish I could just take this thing off.” 

“I only said that because saying he liked it would be a bit strange…” 

“Exactly, because I look so weird.”

“That’s not what I meant, imagine if he wanted you to be pregnant all the time…”

“Oh… well I’m sure there’s someone out there… but everyone else in their right mind―”

“Marinette, you’re beautiful!” Tikki flew over to Marinette’s side and touched her cheek. 

Marinette tried to smile, “A lot of people find motherhood beautiful, but that’s another problem , the context is just such a turn-off…”

“Just because Adrien sees you as a mother now doesn’t mean he stopped looking at you as his wife. If the message isn’t getting through then just tell him straight! You and I both know it isn’t like him to put your worth in how well you meet a certain criteria. He loves you.”

“I know, and it’s all I really need. But I still want him to be attracted to me… physically. I liked that."

The bathroom door squeaked as it opened slowly, Adrien leaning in from the other side, “Just checking on you―Marinette, what’s wrong?!” 

He noticed her scowling at herself, turned away from the warm bath and not fully undressed, “Is your bra stuck?” Adrien walked up to her and unfastened the latch on her back. He slid the bra off as the straps loosened and frowned when Marinette’s expression only deepened. 

“Did you fall?” He asked when her eyes started to water. 

“Are you… not really sure why you feel this way?” He asked when she still didn’t answer. 

Marinette shook her head violently, “Do you have any idea what it means for you to be looking at me while I’m half naked and not reacting at all?”

Adrien flinched, staring at her wildly as she realized she was upset with  _ him _ … actually, for real this time. “You mean… romantically?”

She pressed her lips together, “Is it that absurd to you?”

“Marinette, I never stopped seeing you as the most stunning woman I could ask for.”

“What about ‘sexy’?”

“That’s―” he blurted, “you’re OK with that?” 

“I’m more than OK with it, I  _ want  _ it. I’m sorry, I know it’s an uncomfortable question, but I can’t help it. And apparently it’s normal for me to feel this way!” Marinette sighed.

Adrien shook his head, “I know, but it’s like Tikki said, nothing is fully normal or abnormal… so there’s no way I could have known how you felt without assuming. And that could have meant pushing you to do something you didn’t want to, and I don’t know what I would do with myself  if I ever did that to you.” 

Marinette lowered her gaze, “...then I would just tell you I wasn’t in the mood.” 

He smiled, raising his hand and stroking the side of her face with his knuckles, “In that case you might as well just tell me ahead of time, Bug. I just want you to be straight with me. The fact that… I can’t read you, has led me back to fantasizing about you. You can rest assured that you’re still my weakness when it comes to the bedroom,” he chuckled. 

She smiled silently, unsure of how convinced she was, but slowly feeling better.

He continued, “And that’s never going to change.” 

Marinette looked back up at him, “I guess I still need to learn to talk things out with you instead of letting myself overreact.” 

“You weren’t overreacting, Mari, this is a big change for you. There’s no denying this is only going to continue being tough for you, but that’s what I’m here for,” Adrien kissed her and looked over to the welcoming bathtub, “now,  why don’t you get in the bath? I’ll help you in,” Adrien held Marinette’s hand firmly as she complied, letting herself down into the water. 

The water level rose and spilled over the edge of the tub, splashing onto the tile floor. Tikki flew from Adrien’s shoulder and reached for the drain lever, “Oh, it’s too full!” 

“No worries, Tikki,” Adrien opened his shirt and threw his shoulders back, “there’s gonna be a lot of splashing either way.” 

Marinette blinked up at him. Her jaw dropped as he stripped and stepped into the water. He knelt down in front of her, and kissed her again. 

 

* * *

Adrien laughed as he wrapped a towel around Marinette and held her close. 

“What’s so funny?” Marinette asked sleepily. 

He ran a finger over her lips, “You haven’t changed at all.” 

She gasped softly and stared at him. His eyes were gentle and familiar, a different kind of familiar from what she saw every day; and his smile was overjoyed but unsurprised. She could tell he wasn’t acting the same for her sake. It was the best thing he could have told her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can totally devote yourself to your baby without sacrificing indulgences.


	6. Seesaw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “A—” Marinette closed her mouth and listened. Her ears caught something very faint. At first it might have sounded like the squeak of wet porcelain, but Marinette knew—even through the roaring shower—that was definitely his voice. He could have been mumbling to himself, or singing as quiet as a mouse, but there was something broken about what she heard. If it was a song, it was in a minor key. If he was practicing a set, he was either messing up a lot or hesitating in his delivery. But it was certainly neither. Marinette hated the thought, but she was familiar with a sound that unsettling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you start I just wanna say stan supportive Plagg because he has love in him too

Nevermind the rapidly deteriorating sleep quality, going about the day wasn’t fun either. If only there were a way to straddle between the state of being asleep and the state of being awake. It was finally time to take another few weeks off from work, at least Marinette could be in her pajamas while she suffered.  Well… she could also have Adrien for company, that was a plus. 

    “How are we feeling?” He came around to stand in front of Marinette as she curled up on the couch. 

    She grumbled, “Hhhgh… stuff hurts and I’m tired.” 

    “ _Marinette_ …” He gently scolded her with his tone. 

    “...My head hurts, my hips hurt, I feel weak, and I can’t poop.” 

    “That’s fiber, vitamin A, and biotin deficiency; and dehydration,” Adrien walked back around the back of the couch and into the kitchen. He took something from the fridge and washed it in the sink, then brought back a tiny bowl of baby carrots and a glass of water. 

Marinette frowned at the bowl and cup, “I want carrot juice instead of either of those.”

“Juice risks overdose and doesn’t give you the fiber you get from chewing on a fresh carrot, come on now, take it.” 

She pouted. 

“I’m not leaving until you eat at least a few and drink this water.” 

Marinette took the bowl first, “I don’t want you to leave anyhow.” She blinked drowsily. 

Adrien smiled, reaching over with his free hand to pluck a carrot from the bowl and hold it up to Marinette’s lips. Reluctantly, she bit through half of one and chewed. After eating one, it wasn’t so difficult for Marinette to continue popping them into her mouth like popcorn. 

“Slow down or you’ll choke,” Adrien chuckled as he handed her the glass of water. 

“Make up your mind, Goldilocks,” Marinette huffed. She then smiled to herself and pointed to Adrien’s hair, “Hey!”

“Ok… I guess I had that one coming,” Adrien smirked. 

She held the cup over her mouth, “Yes you did, Monsieur Bossy Pants.”

“Well, you’re always talking about doing me a favor, so how about you take care of yourself while I’m out,” he raised his hands defensively, “don’t take it as ‘bossy’ orders, just see it as a favor. I just want you to be happy and healthy.”

Marinette grabbed his hand and placed it over her swollen abdomen, “Looks like someone thinks that sounded like something a good papa would say.” 

Adrien gasped excitedly as one tiny kick pressed against the palm of his hand, this was the third time Marinette felt kicks and he finally didn’t miss it, “Strong. Doesn’t it hurt?” 

“I mean,” she tilted her head back, “It doesn’t feel like your kisses~” 

“Hmm,” Adrien indulged her and gave her a kiss, “Alright, I’ll be back soon. Tikki and Plagg will be here to help, and here’s your staff thing.” He handed her the walking-stick they had bought just for her to get out of comfy chairs easier, “Be careful, OK?” 

Marinette smiled softly and nodded. 

Adrien took a deep breath and walked over to the front door, “And don’t try going up or down the stairs.” 

“Ok.”

He stepped halfway through the door, “Don’t pick up heavy things!” 

“We’ve been over this a million times. I _know_.” 

He sighed and closed the door behind him. But that didn’t stop his muffled voice from the other side, “AND DON’T USE YOUR HOT GLUE GUN!” 

“I WON’T! NOW STOP BEFORE I RUN OUT OF PATIENCE!” 

“....yes, Madame.” 

    Marinette sighed and leaned back a bit. Adrien was the best husband she could ask for, but it was about time she had some peace and quiet. She could try and take a nap maybe, or work on the crib mobile―the last detail of the baby’s room that she was still fussing over―or even watch television for once. But she was still hungry, a snack of carrots wasn’t going to cut it. 

    And of course, if she was going to make something for herself, she may as well have dinner ready for Adrien. He would probably be worried sick at the thought. The kitchen was a dangerous place; heavy pots, slippery floors, harsh counter edges, blood-thirsty knives, and hungry flames. But Marinette wasn’t going to ‘find a snack’ and ‘wait for [Adrien] to cook’. Adrien was becoming famous for his recently-developed paranoia, one worse than Marinette’s. He was exaggerating at his own expense, making himself responsible for all three meals. Marinette was more capable than she looked, a little cooking wouldn’t hurt.

And it _wasn’t_ hurting. Tikki and Plagg helped her carry pots and gather ingredients while she stirred everything together. If she ever got tired and needed to sit down, they kept an eye on the food for her. It was while the potatoes were boiling that they all took a break and waited. Everything was nearly ready and the whole house smelled wonderful, Marinette just had one thing left to do and she could take a breather.

She reached into an overhead cabinet and went for two ceramic plates. She didn’t really think much of it. Preparing a meal and setting the table was something she hadn’t done in a while thanks to her schedule and Adrien, but still a natural gesture she and Adrien both enjoyed doing for each other. So it didn’t feel natural when the plates slid forward and tilted over. It didn’t feel natural when her arms hit the top of the wooden shelf, throwing her upper body forward and slamming her knees against the handles below the counter. And it certainly didn’t feel natural when she started to see the ceiling as a gust of air jumped right through her body. 

Everything stopped moving abruptly when something small pressed against her back. Both Tikki and Plagg grunted as they pushed Marinette forward and upright. They panted momentarily before gasping as Marinette knelt on the ground and hung her head into her hands. 

“Are you hurt, Marinette?” Tikki asked softly. 

Marinette shook her head, “I’m ok. Thanks to you.” Her tone was edging toward a bitterness Tikki wasn’t really accustomed to hearing, especially in a room where Lila Rossi wasn’t present. “Why can’t I be normal, Tikki?” 

“Normal?” Tikki echoed. 

“Didn’t you and Adrien go over this already, Marigold?” Plagg sighed.

“ _Plagg_ …” Tikki whispered harshly. 

Marinette chuckled as her eyes overflowed, “No, he’s right. I keep lapsing back like some ingrate. But I just can’t stand it. I was Paris’ hero, and now I can’t even reach into a cabinet without getting seriously hurt—or at least nearly getting hurt. How much of myself am I going to regain after all of this? How long am I going to be _weak_.” 

“Weak?! Ha,” Plagg waved his paw, “I’ll have you know that not even my strongest holder’s could carry 13kg around for thirty-five weeks. And you aren’t even using enhanced strength or powers. You’re the strongest hero I know.”

“And you haven’t lost any of yourself, you’re just adapting and it feels uncomfortable. It’s not even that you’re adapting slowly, pregnancy isn’t something you’re supposed to fully get used to, you know. You’re adapting as much as you can in such a short amount of time—though it doesn’t feel short—because that’s what heroes do. And you’re doing it so well! I think you’ll heal quickly after the birth,” Tikki winked, “actually I know you will, because you fight anything that comes against you!”

Plagg grinned, “Plus healing is your thing!”

“It’s Tikki’s thing…” Marinette mumbled. 

“But it was _you_ who stopped Hawkmoth!” Tikki added. 

“He escaped right from under my fingertips, literally…”

“It was Adrien’s fingertips, technically,” Plagg pointed out. 

“No need to put the blame on anyone, we both missed him somehow. We didn’t even catch his face, and sometimes it worries me, but I couldn’t keep living in the past! I had to move on, I—I’m rambling, sorry,” Marinette wiped her face dry, though what she tried to erase was still evident in her puffy, red face, “Thanks, both of you, really. Just… don’t tell Adrien.” 

Tikki and Plagg looked at each other with furrowed expressions. 

“We can’t promise that, Marinette,” Tikki frowned. 

Marinette looked at Tikki, then at the floor, “Fine, but I won’t say anything,” she stood up, holding onto a counter for support, “I’m going to finish cooking.” 

*            *            * 

    The doorknob finally started to click and shake just before the door opened. Marinette jumped. Adrien came in beaming and energetic. 

    “And how is my beautiful Lady doing—Marinette, you _cooked?_ I could have done it, you should have let yourself rest. Besides it’s dangerous…” 

    Marinette laughed loudly, “Yeah, well, sorry I just wanted to do something for you. It’s been a little uneven between us lately.” 

    “Ohh, come on. That’s not how I see it…” Adrien smiled hesitantly, “well… I’m glad you’re OK.”

Marinette wanted to respond that she was relieved she was OK too, but he couldn’t know that. 

And as if he read her mind, he silenced the room with his next question. 

  
  


“Did anything go wrong?”  

  
  


Marinette swallowed hard. She didn’t expect things to escalate so quickly, “I…” 

    “There _was_ a bit of an accident, Adrien,” Tikki murmured. 

    Adrien visibly tensed. 

    “She fell,” Tikki continued. 

    “WHAT?!” Adrien dropped the keys on the couch and stumbled forward, cupping Marinette’s face, “Does anything hurt? I’m so sorry I wasn’t here—”

    “But we caught her!” Plagg blurted. “She’s perfectly fine.” 

    “ _Perfectly?”_ Adrien wondered aloud, “is there… anything you want to vent about, maybe?”

    Marinette blinked in surprise, then chuckled, “Actually, I already did. I’m feeling a little better, especially because you aren’t saying ‘I told you so’.” 

    Adrien let go of Marinette and let his hands fall to his side, “Oh, well of course I wouldn’t do that. But um… ok, I guess uh… everything’s been straightened out w-without me. Good! I’m glad you’re feeling better—I would have hoped to avoid anything that would hurt you altogether but… _again_ , I wasn’t here. I missed a lot, _phew_ so much to catch up with at once. Anyway, I guess you just want to forget about it now? Let’s just sit down and eat, like nothing ever happened.” 

“I guess I should fill you in on the details… if it’s worrying you that much. To be honest, I wasn’t going to tell you at all, I was afraid to worry you again.” 

Adrien sighed, “I see… then don’t force yourself to talk about anything you’re uncomfortable with.  Don’t worry, I’m just taking it all in. We can drop the subject, I promise I won’t bring it up anymore.” 

Marinette hugged him, “Thank you, that really takes a load off my chest.” 

Adrien smiled, “Anything for you, Marinette. Now let’s go eat, I’m sure we’re both famished.” 

Marinette snorted, nodding. As she walked over to her usual side of the table, Tikki whispered into her ear, “Don’t you think Adrien accepted that a little too quickly?”

“Maybe… but he’s not really offering much of a reason for me to ask. I don’t want to sound like I’m prodding.” 

“I don’t think you need a reason to ask though…” 

“ _Tikki_ , you’re being too obvious, we’ll talk about this later,” Marinette hissed. And so her kwami obliged, settling down onto her shoulder quietly.

 

            *            *            *

    “I’m gonna go take a shower,” Adrien threw his thumb over his shoulder lazily. 

    Marinette nodded from her spot in the bed. He turned slowly and shuffled into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. 

    Tikki zipped in front of Marinette, almost growling in frustration, “Marinette! You need to be straight with him and tell him you’re worried!” 

    “I know… I don’t even understand why he closed the door just now. He never bothers with that.” 

    “And therefore…?” Tikki pushed. 

    “I’m… I’m gonna go check on him,” Marinette peeled the blanket from over her legs and braced herself as she moved her legs off the bed and stood up. 

    She waddled over to the bathroom and opened the door and the rush of running water became louder. “A—” Marinette closed her mouth and listened. Her ears caught something very faint. At first it might have sounded like the squeak of wet porcelain, but Marinette knew—even through the roaring shower—that was definitely his voice. He could have been mumbling to himself, or singing as quiet as a mouse, but there was something broken about what she heard. If it was a song, it was in a minor key. If he was practicing a set, he was either messing up a lot or hesitating in his delivery. But it was certainly neither. Marinette hated the thought, but she was familiar with a sound that unsettling. 

    Without thinking she went to pull the shower door open, “Adrien...”

He gasped and moved his face away from the water, looking over his shoulder at Marinette. “Wha— I…” 

“Sorry I surprised you—and let cold air in—but I couldn’t stand to let you hide things from me again,” she frowned. 

“I’m not hiding anything,” Adrien turned sideways, slightly more toward her, “I already let you know I was worried, but you don’t like being fussed over, so it might look like I’m holding back…” 

“But I never said I didn’t want to talk about _you_.” 

“This isn’t about me!” 

“Yes it is! It’s about both of us. Why do you insist on prioritizing my feelings over yours? You promised you would stop forcing yourself to bottle everything up. I want to help you too!”

Adrien looked away, “It really is nothing this time, just… I hate not being here when it counts. Which I know is crazy, I get to be home a lot more than the average paid worker gets to, but...” 

“But it isn’t just about that, is it?” he heard Marinette say, “I could tell.” 

Adrien looked up, “I was at a loss for words, I guess.”

Marinette shook her head, “I know you were crying just now, Kitty.” 

He flinched and turned toward the shower again, staring silently at the water.

“Adrien, you need to understand that me knowing you’re seriously upset isn’t a bad thing.” 

His shoulders slumped, “I know… I remember the promise I made, but… I wanted to take a break from that while you were pregnant because stress is bad for the baby. And I’m not even supposed to be feeling this way, I’m supposed to feel secure for doing everything in my power to help you like I said I would. But I _haven’t_ done everything, I keep screwing up. Just the thought of what could have happened to you today terrifies me…” 

“That was in absolutely no way your fault… it’s exactly what you begged me not to do. It’s on me, and I’ve learned from it now.”

“It wasn’t _just_ today. If I was competent, you…” 

“I what?” 

“You wouldn’t have been having such a hard time.” 

It dawned on Marinette that he was talking about all of the mental breakdowns she’d been having. Her wavering mental state and his desire to be sturdy and supportive was starting to take a toll on him. More than starting, it probably had been the entire time and he refrained from bringing it up to protect her and the baby. 

“Adrien, come out from there.” 

Adrien slowly leaned forward to shut off the water, then turned to step out of the shower. 

Marinette giggled softly, wiping Adrien’s soaked hair from his face, “We have a bad habit of having meltdowns in here, huh?”

Adrien chuckled through faint sniffles. 

“But listen, you and I both got into this knowing my hormones were going to be a mess and that my mental state was probably going to be garbage sometimes. It was sort of inevitable… what kind of magical ability were you thinking you would have to be competent in? Being a good husband? You are the perfect husband for me and that’s why I married you. A ready father? You’ve more than proven yourself and I promise you won’t become your father, I know you. And _yes,_ stress is bad for the baby, but nothing stresses me out more than knowing you’re suffering in silence,” Marinette reached for the bathrobe hanging from the back of the bathroom door and wrapped it around Adrien, tying it snuggly to his waist, “you don’t need to be my therapist, Adrien. If you see me crying and feel like crying, then we’ll just cry together.” 

Adrien blinked at her uncomfortably. That sounded like something that would be difficult for him. But he knew she was right, and her care made him feel warm and fuzzy for reasons more than the bathrobe she dressed him in. For someone who preached by communication, it was definitely true that Adrien had to do it in return. He nodded and smiled bashfully. He would at least promise to do his best.

 


	7. Clearance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette face their biggest fears as they prepare for a major turning point in their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO thRILLED I CANT WAIT
> 
> thanks to vicspeaks, 14, and Purple for helping beta this chapter/fic! It's really important to me and I love how it turned out <33

“So, my wife is in her third trimester of pregnancy,” Adrien announced, clutching a slightly outdated microphone. A regular, hand-held microphone felt right, both for the nostalgia and for stand-up. As of 2022, it was more common to use ‘surround mics’. Which were hidden, miniature microphones that picked up sound from any point on a stage. He looked around the dimly lit room; catching a few murmurs, whistles, chuckles, and nods. He continued, “and man do I feel like an asshole.”

 

The audience rumbled with soft laughter. Adrien pointed at a grinning middle-aged man in the front row, “This guy knows. What’s your name, Sir?”

 

“Thomas.”

 

“Thomas? Wow, that’s my father-in-law’s name! So Thomas, you’ve been through the whole pregnancy thing?”

 

Thomas nodded nervously.

 

Adrien blinked. “Sorry, not—” he glanced up at the audience, “Thomas still answered ‘yes’ like he’s the one who was pregnant.” After the audience laughed once again he looked back to Thomas, “Is the mother of your children here?”

 

Thomas gestured toward the woman to his right, “My wife, Sandrine.”

 

Adrien nodded, “Awesome. Why didn’t you introduce me sooner? Thomas did you _feel_ like an asshole around Sandrine or were you _actually_ an asshole?”

 

Thomas shrugged awkwardly, “Gee, I sure hope I wasn’t.”

 

“That’s how I feel! I mean my wife will scowl at me and I’ll be like ‘What did I do?!” and then she’ll say something crazy like, ‘the baby’s foot is in my spleen’ WHAT?! Which side of the family gave it Olympic Swimmer genes?” Adrien took a step back, “let me just say I’m not here to make fun of pregnant women, because I find them amazing…”

 

A few audience members cheered.

 

“When someone you love gets pregnant, you should treat them like they’re a soldier or something.” He paused. “From there on out they're facing something tougher than you can imagine. Some men try to wrap their heads around it and act like it’s not hard. Like ‘go get ‘em, Champ!’. They think they could handle it. I’m like, ‘when was the last time you didn’t complain about constipation?’”

**\------**

Adrien paused the video on his laptop of last night’s routine, “And that’s basically all I said. What do you think?” He straightened his back, leaning back on the headboard and rubbing against Marinette’s shoulder. The late morning sun was passing just over the top of the house, through the window of their master bedroom. But Adrien and Marinette were not in their master bedroom. They were in the guest bedroom on the first floor. The room was just short enough of natural light that the two of them could feel an afternoon nap was due. Then again, they had every right to feel tired.

 

Marinette tilted her head sleepily, “I mean it’s everything you told me you’d say…”

 

“That’s not a reassuring reaction…” his eyes widened,  “I’m sorry, I’ll apologize about it publicly today too—”

 

“No, you don’t need to do that! Calm down. I meant my opinion is still the same as it was last month, two weeks ago, yesterday, and last night. It’s _fine_. You barely talked about me or even said my name. This isn’t even personal,” Marinette smiled and rubbed Adrien’s arm, “why would I get offended by this?”

 

“Oh my God, you’re right! I didn’t talk about you and I made it all about the baby! _Dammit_ , I knew something was wrong. I’ll fix that right away!” Adrien scrambled to his feet and put down his laptop, making his way to a pile of notes on his desk.

 

Marinette grabbed his wrist, “Hey. If you want to stop feeling like an asshole, then stop making it seem like I see everything you do as a mistake.”

 

His breath hitched, “Sorry…”

 

“Don’t apologize to _me_ . I don’t like how underrated you are to _yourself_.”

 

Adrien paused, looking up guiltily at the thought of having to ask again. But he knew from their discussions that she just wanted him to speak his mind. “Am I doing OK?”

 

“You’re doing amazing,” Marinette smiled. “No offense to Tikki, but not all my luck comes from her.”

 

Adrien visibly relaxed, sitting down sheepishly, “I’d say I was the lucky one… but—”

 

“Just get over here, Kitty,” Marinette opened her arms and let Adrien nestle his face into the crook of her neck. He put one arm around her back and the other resting on her baby bump.

 

“I’m gonna hate leaving you this afternoon,” Adrien murmured.

 

“I’ll be fine.”

 

“Call me no matter what.”

 

“I will.”

 

“Promise?”

 

“I refuse to have this baby without you being there.”

 

The weight of Marinette’s words settled into the room. They were having a baby. It could be anywhere between seconds and weeks from now. And the idea of missing the moment Marinette needed him the most felt worse than any akuma he’d ever faced. Maybe he shouldn’t have pursued any career to begin with, he should have been full-time stay-at-home. He could at least go on vacation until the baby was born. Something had to be done. The risk was too large.

 

“The baby wants to meet you. I think they can wait until you’re around again.” Marinette ruffled Adrien’s hair with the hand she had wrapped around him, having noticed his tense embrace. The scent of his shampoo wafted through her fingers as she massaged his scalp. She felt his warm breath as he sighed.  If he were transformed, he probably would have been purring. She closed her eyes, bringing her left hand across and over his right arm, her right hand still in his hair. “Have fun this afternoon, this is a big day for you to be invited to a talk show. Do me a favor and make the most of it!” Marinette turned and kissed Adrien’s forehead.

 

 

Adrien kissed her neck in response, “I will,” he sat up, “but I’ll come running back as soon as the shoot is over.”

 

* * *

 

Marinette was free for the rest of the day. The endless possibilities were overwhelming to say the least. This was, of course, only because she felt pretty good. She could easily work on another bonus baby outfit, or maybe sit and listen to classical music with the baby. Why not both at the same time? She’d already eaten lunch, and really that was all that mattered. She wasn’t interested in turning on the television to fill the silence. She didn’t really feel like taking a bath, or for that matter the _need_ to take one, and she’d been sleeping a lot better lately. There was plenty of time to achieve all of her wants, and that was preparing more nice things for the baby.

 

“Tikki, I think I’ll surprise Adrien and make a Mister Bug onesie as well, what do you think?” Marinette grabbed onto her walking-stick from the side of the couch and pulled herself to her feet.

 

“I think he’ll insist it’s a Ladybug suit, and therefore it would honor _you_ ,” Tikki hovered behind Marinette, watching her tread up the stairs carefully. “What do you need from upstairs? Maybe I can get it.”

 

“It’s ok, Tikki, I just forgot something in the master bedroom.”

 

“You were supposed to tell Adrien about everything you needed for the guest bedroom you’re staying in.”

 

“Yeah well, this hadn’t occurred to me,” Marinette continued to be vague, a small smile spreading across her face.

 

“We have to be _extra_ careful, Marinette. I don’t mean to expect the worst-case scenario, but I don’t think I can catch you alone,” Tikki reminded Marinette that Plagg was not in the house with them. Adrien and Marinette had agreed that in the case of an emergency, Chat Noir could get to her much faster.

 

_DING DONG_

 

Marinette froze halfway up the stairs, “Who could that be?”

 

Tikki glanced down into the living room, where the front door was, “Maybe Adrien came back for something.”

 

“I wonder what he could have forgotten…” Marinette held onto the railing with both hands as she rotated back around and descended the stairs. As she neared the door, it occurred to both Tikki and her that Adrien wasn’t the type to leave the house keys in the car. Much less would he be so lazy as to have Marinette open the door. He wouldn’t need the doorbell if it really was him. Marinette shuffled over to the window beside the door, feeling dizzy as she spotted the mysterious visitor. From what she could tell, it was a woman her height. Notably well-dressed in a creme, maxi dress coat and brown chelsea boots. Her face was too close to the front door to see from the angle Marinette was at, but at least her blond bob was visible beneath the hat and scarf.

 

Great, Marinette was in sweats and a stained shirt. She reached for the handle, “It has to be something important, right? We’re in a pretty isolated area… no one just _drops by_.”

 

The door creaked as Marinette let her hand push heavily onto the handle, she halfway hid behind it as she peered up at her new guest. She blinked hard at the sight of golden-framed sunglasses, “Chloe?!”

 

“Well, it’s about time,” Chloe started, then huffed, “I mean it’s understandable, you’re like, extra heavy now.”

 

Marinette frowned, “You came here to call me fat?”

 

“God, I never said _fat_ ,” Chloe stood over Marinette, directly blocking the afternoon sun behind her as she frowned, “but just _look_ at you.”

 

Marinette looked down at herself, “What about me?”

 

“And—” Chloe  inhaled sharply through her nose, “do showers even exist outside of Paris?”

 

“Wha…” Marinette pulled the collar of her shirt up to her nose, taking a whiff.

 

“Your vacation seems to have made you forget what fashion was…”

 

“I'm comfortable!” Marinette pouted, “And I’m at home anyhow, so what’s the big deal?”

 

Chloe raised a hand to her forehead, “Ugh, so you sack Adrien and suddenly his eyes don’t matter? I have so much to teach you again,” she feigned a whimper, “hurry up and get ready.”

 

“What for?”

 

“I’m taking you shopping for better maternity clothes.”

 

“It’s a little late for that, and why should I listen to you anyway?”

 

“You can at least look good the day you’re rushed to the hospital. And because _I_ don’t have hormones fogging my brain.”

 

Marinette scowled, “Your brain has always been fogged to begin with.”

 

Chloe peered over the bridge of her sunglasses, “Yeesh, and you’re snappier than usual too; this is an emergency.”

 

Marinette squinted silently, not knowing how to respond anymore.

 

“Marinette,” Chloe drawled, “when was the last time you thought about yourself?”

 

“Myself?” Marinette paused, stunned at the depth of the question coming from Chloe. All she could do was stand there, staring at an invisible dot between her and Chloe. She didn’t have an answer for Chloe, not one that wasn’t absolutely depressing.

 

When she thought about it, even her plans for today were unfolding in the direction of the baby. The rest of the time, she was thinking about Adrien, her parents, Alya, her boutique, her benched duty as Ladybug. No matter how she sliced it, nothing of what she’d been focused on as of late was for her without someone else’s benefit. Every decision was heavy, nothing was lighthearted or all in good fun.

 

What was she going to do when the baby was born? Could anything really be the usual after that point? Crossing that threshold would be the end of her personal time, really. She hated to admit it, but Chloe had a point. This was her last chance to just be the usual old Marinette.

 

“Fine, I’ll go get dressed,” Marinette turned around, grumpily heading straight for the guest bedroom without another word.

 

*   * *

 

Parisians were swarming the sidewalk, seemingly multiplying by the second. The air was crispy and smelled like cheap perfumes, rain, bread, and wine. Marinette hadn’t smelled wine in a while and it suddenly made her nauseous. Unfortunately in the rush of things, it was impossible to hold her breath. There wasn’t a moment to rest and slow her heartbeat. Chloe wasn’t even pushing her, she just wanted out of this crowd.

 

She glanced around, studying the buildings. Any store would do at this point, but Chloe had something specific in mind. There was no knowing where it was exactly without Chloe telling. All Marinette could do was move forward blindly as Chloe supported her shoulders from behind.

 

The buildings were getting taller, the signs blurrier, and the people closer. Marinette stuttered to a stop at a group of people blocking the way.

 

“Excuse me? _Excuse me!_ ” Chloe huffed, marching around to the front of Marinette and shoving the shoulders of strangers aside, “we’re _trying_ to get through. Pregnant lady here!”

 

 

Receiving mutters and glares, a bit of a path was made for the two of them. Chloe grabbed Marinette’s hand and dragged her through to the opening at the corner of the block. Chloe had so much determination. It would be unfair to compare her to her middle-school self. The shopping spree was a surprise, but there was no explanation that Marinette could think of that would make it a malicious gesture. It was better to simply let the adventure unfold.

 

Once Marinette came back to her senses, she was indoors with Chloe. Already, Chloe was plucking hangers from racks and tossing them at Marinette, “Try these on, and make it snappy. We don’t have much time, there’s a sale and the good stuff always goes first.”

 

“I know how sales play out, Chloe,” Marinette snatched the final dress Chloe was holding out and left her behind to find a changing room. “Adrien is not going to believe this,” she muttered to Tikki.

 

“Chloe has a very interesting personality,” Tikki responded from Marinette’s coat, “you can never predict what she’ll do next.”

 

“Well, this _is_ the person that kept Adrien from getting bored throughout his entire childhood.”

 

Although Marinette knew plenty about clothing, fancy maternity clothing was on another level. There were buttons and loops and ribbons and ties that just didn’t seem like they were necessary at first. But after putting them on it was clear what kept the outfits together. Marinette took so long that Chloe to finish scouting the entire store and start tapping her foot impatiently outside her stall.

 

“Do you need my help or something?” Chloe yapped through the door.

 

“No, but thanks for asking.” Marinette deadpanned.

 

Despite not being in the stall with her, it was obvious to Chloe that Marinette did in fact need help. Otherwise—due to the sounds she was making from inside—she could only have been going into labor. “Just let me in already,” Chloe scowled.

 

“I’d rather not.” Marinette grumbled back. After a long pause, the door quivered as the lock was undone, a reluctant Marinette scowling on the other side. “Don’t say anything.”

 

“I have nothing to say to you anyway, I’m just speechless.” Chloe marched into the stall and began wrestling with Marinette’s top. She continued to do so with other pieces of clothing until Marinette was entirely through the pile of chosen outfits.

 

Eventually, she and Chloe were plopped on the bench outside of the changing rooms, sighing to take a break after trying everything on. Marinette had a headache, and possibly was on the brink of hunger. She didn’t know what was going on anymore but she was ready for it to be over so she could try getting a nap in before Adrien got home. She looked down at the pile of clothing she had to sort through. Could she even remember which one looked best? Why didn’t she take pictures?!

 

Marinette propped herself up with her palms on her thighs, straightening her back and throwing her head back with closed eyes. She blew a puff of air through her pursed lips, a hint of a whistle breaking through. For now she would zone out for just a little bit. She just needed to clear her head.

 

After having successfully separated from her senses, Marinette nearly jumped when something warm pressed against the small of her back. Instinct made her want to cry out Adrien’s name with relief and overjoyment, but she knew the hand was too narrow and small to be his. Not to mention she couldn’t even feel a ring, the usual small and cold sensation within Adrien’s broad, warm touch.

 

Her eyes shot open. The hand started moving in a circular pattern, so Marinette looked over to Chloe. Chloe’s eyes were shut as well, but it was certainly her hand on Marinette’s back. She must have been doing it subconsciously, because when she felt Marinette’s stare, she frowned and muttered something along the lines of getting worried that Marinette wouldn’t get back home in one piece.

 

Marinette smiled, relaxing a little. “Thanks, Chloe, it’s nice what you did for me today. I still have to think about which one I want though, could you wait a little longer? Sorry...”

 

“ _Choose?!_ Marinette do I look like someone who chooses things? Not even you are, you never chose between Adrien and Chat Noir,” Chloe scoffed.

 

“That’s not fair, there was no choice to be made!”

 

“Ha, don’t act like you weren’t torn before you knew. So anyway, in _this_ family, clearly the answer is always ‘yes’.”

 

“What?” Marinette blinked, still furrowing her eyebrows over Chloe’s previous statement.

 

Chloe mocked a conversation, “‘Do you want this one, or this one?’, ‘yes’. All or nothing Buggabump,” she smirked at the swell of Marinette’s stomach, “definitely all or nothing. What would Stutter-nette think of you now?”

 

“Stop giving me embarrassing nicknames!”

 

“Fine,” Chloe stuffed the pile of clothing into a basket, “guess you only like it when your _Kitty_ gives you nicknames.”

 

Marinette’s face lit on fire, “ _Nevermind_ . Anyway I can’t take all of these, I can’t even be sure I’ll still be pregnant _tomorrow_. Chloe you realize how briefly these could be worn, right?”

 

“Well, duh. Only you would wear the same thing until you ‘make it worth the price’. You should know fashion dies as soon as commoners start wearing it. You wouldn’t need this for more than a week as it is,” Chloe waved Marinette off, walking toward the cashier without her.

 

Marinette sighed, smirking at Chloe’s subtle insistence to do something nice for her. It almost seemed like Chloe felt guilty about not helping throughout the trimesters of Marinette’s pregnancy. “Well, even if I don’t get to wear them once, I guess it’s true I’ll get to make use of them in my next pregnancy.”

 

“Ridiculous!” Chloe whipped her head around to Marinette, “Were you not listening to me at all? That’s basically _already_ out of fashion,” Chloe slammed the basket on the cashier’s desk, not even looking at them to ask to be rung up, “don’t you dare wear these in a couple years or _however_ soon you expect to be pregnant again.”

 

“Not making any promises,” Marinette shut her eyes and smirked.

 

“Ugh, you are _so_ Adrien’s soulmate.”

 

“Aww, thank you!”

 

*   * *

 

Adrien shrugged his coat off, stumbling into the house to an empty living room. He didn’t remember the last time he had to keep up so much energy for a camera. He wasn’t so sure how he felt about rising to fame all over again. Particularly with a child coming, both parents grabbing the attention of the public eye wasn’t ideal. It was evident this power couple couldn’t help it. Adrien’s celebrity background, Marinette’s past with Gabriel fashion lines, their looks… they were magnets. He chuckled to himself. Luck and bad luck really were balanced within each other. But he was sure they would figure out a way to handle it.

 

He looked around the house. The room was growing darker as the sunlight faded below the evergreen trees that surrounded their large, dormant garden. Not a single light bulb on as far as he could see. “Marinette?”

 

“Maybe she’s taking a nap upstairs,” Plagg flew over to the opposite side of the room.

 

“She’s not even supposed to go upstairs alone, that’s what we temporarily moved our belongings to a guest bedroom for…” Adrien scratched his head, “but I think she would’ve woken up if she was on this floor.”

 

“Well we haven’t actually _checked_ the bedroom yet,” Plagg suggested.

 

“You’re right, let me not get ahead of myself,” Adrien paced down the hall past the kitchen. He tried his best to keep his head clear. To _not_ think about the fact she had fallen not too long ago. About the fact that the logic behind Plagg joining him didn’t make up for the fact immediate help was more important for Marinette than his own help. The fact that the house was too quiet. That not even Tikki was answering.

 

The bedroom was empty, as was the bathroom. Adrien reached for his phone, his hands trembling too much to dial Marinette’s number. At this point he could only hope she had simply gone out for a walk.

 

He heard the front lock jingle. The door opened, “Are you back already, Adrien? Sorry, I meant to call you as soon as you were scheduled to end the shoot… but the most random thing happened.”

 

Marinette’s casual voice continued to carry down the hall as Adrien stood silently, urging his feet to move. It was when his knees buckled that he finally found the motivation to charge toward her. He found her at the end of the hall, smiling absently… peacefully. He gasped for air. From the sight of her, from her unharmed state, from the degree to which she was clueless.

 

His arms flew forward on their own, fingers pressing gently into the folds of the thick fabric over her shoulders. “Marinette!” he blurted, pulling her against his chest, “I thought something terrible had happened to you!”

 

Marinette stared into the scarf on Adrien’s neck, “What did you think hap—oh. _Kitty_ …” she felt the shakiness of his breathing, “I really wish I could have been here before you. I should have called you regardless of being worried I would interrupt your schedule, I’m so sorry.”

 

One last pant twirled into a lengthy sigh as Adrien relaxed, he managed a chuckle. “It wasn’t live, I was prepared to take the call and reschedule the shoot at any time.” Despite himself, he shook his head, “It’s ok, I’m just glad it all turned out alright.”

 

“...Everything just happened so suddenly.”

 

Adrien leaned back and took a good look at her. Tucked beneath her coat was a frilly, cotton dress with a thin layer of lace draped over it. It hugged loosely just below the chest, flowing out over the swell of her stomach and complimenting her nicely with pale colors. “Do tell, I see it has something to do with seducing me.”

 

“Hold it, Zero-To-One-Hundred,” Marinette bit her lip and laughed, “this was all Chloe’s doing, actually.”

 

“Chloe was here?!”Adrien ducked his head, laughing.

 

Marinette shrugged, “She just came and kidnapped me. Wanted to take me on a shopping spree,” she put a hand over her stomach, gesturing to the bags on the floor behind her. “What I had to explain was that I would probably not get to wear most of these. Most people don’t buy third trimester clothing at the... _end_ of their third trimester. Unless I do a photo shoot…”

 

Adrien squeezed her hand, “She just wanted to remind you that you’re still a princess.”

 

She tilted her head, “Yeah, it was sweet… but I never forget that I’m a princess, you know. I like being your Princess way too much to forget.”

 

He smiled, “I meant being your own princess.”

 

“I still am, you just get to say it too.”

 

Adrien kissed her hand, “True. The knight serves the princess,” he looked outside, the ring of trees around their home having turned an indigo against the black sky. “Speaking of which, why don’t we put that dress of yours where it belongs…”

 

“On the floor?”

 

“I—no…” his eyes widened with amusement, “but yes.”

 

“Then…?”

 

“I meant a restaurant,” Adrien snorted, “why don’t we go out on a nice date?”

 

Marinette waved the thin fabric of her skirt around, “That does sound nice.”

 

Adrien took her hand, “Then let’s go! I’m hungry.”

 

“So am I!” Plagg wailed, large eyes popping out of Adrien’s shoulder bag.

 

“Don’t get caught stealing Camembert in a public restaurant, Stinky Cat,” Tikki warned from the front door, her voice coming from one of the many paper bags waiting on the floor.

 

Marinette blinked at the three of them, “Well hold on a sec, I want some lipstick first.”

 

“Heh,” Adrien shook his head, “It’ll go to waste.” He threw his hands up, “In that type of setting I get carried away, I’ll probably clean all the lipstick off myself as soon as the candle hits your eyes.”

 

Marinette turned toward the bedroom, “Pff, you flirt, are you hungry for the food or for me?”

 

“Uh, yes?” His voice questioned her as if to say, ‘were you expecting a different answer?’

 

“Sheesh, I didn’t realize I just had to wear a frilly little dress to get you excited.”

 

“In my defense, my relief from the scare might’ve made me horny.”

 

“Again, I’m sorry I scared you… and… you’re welcome?”

 

Adrien patted her head, “What can I say? Human emotion is complicated. I don’t understand it myself.”

 

“It’s true, Adrien,” Tikki chirped, whisking over to the couple, “emotions _are_ very complicated. I think it helps that you feel secure now that you’ve been living together and have been through so much just over this past year. Plus you had to deal with the stress of Hawkmoth for so many years. But now he’s gone and you can almost handle anything. You’re growing an emotional backbone which, no offense, you had none when you were fourteen.”

 

“It’s ok,” Marinette smiled as Adrien blushed, “I didn’t have a very stable one myself—”

 

“At least you _had_ one,” Adrien snorted, “I was a mess, I can’t deny that. I still am… but I’m a lot better at cleaning myself up now. And I get help.” He looked Marinette directly in the eye.

 

“Yes, you two of grown so much! I personally think you have been handling this pregnancy very well. You solve any problems that come up and recover quickly. The baby is going to be so strong and healthy, I just know it!” Tikki squeaked.

 

Marinette cradled her abdomen, “Heh… don’t get my hopes up, Tikki. I know I’m stronger but I still worry.”

 

“I don’t run on hope, Marinette,” Tikki smiled softly.

 

Marinette chuckled, reaching over and squeezing Adrien’s hand at Tikki’s implication. She was excited and thankful for the luck she had on her side. She couldn’t imagine having to go through the journey of motherhood without Tikki, Plagg, and Adrien. And of course, her amazing friends were cheering her on as best they could. And how could she forget her parents? She received love and support from all directions and already she was getting ready to have this baby.

 

“So are we going out to eat or not?” Plagg huffed.

 

“Alright, alright, we’re going!” Adrien supported Marinette’s back and walked her to the bedroom to get her lipstick.

 

*   * *

 

It felt like forever since Marinette had been at a sit down restaurant. After all, Adrien liked to cook for her, especially on special occasions. Nothing against him, but she did miss the aura of a dimly lit meal, surrounded by other couples and families, and having no responsibility other than paying attention to each other. The problem was the menu.

 

“Everything on here is either unappetizing or I’m not allowed to eat it…” Marinette grumbled. She glanced up and caught Adrien’s eyes, “I-I mean…”

 

Adrien waved his hand, “No, it’s alright, I’m glad you told me. What are you in the mood for? We can leave and find some other place to eat.”

 

“Well…” She lowered her face and peeked up at Adrien, who raised his eyebrow encouragingly. He was telling her she could be honest. They were both honest individuals, but they had been working on their self-sacrificial white lies for months now. It was a tough habit to get over. “Yeah, I’d like that…”

 

“Okay,” Adrien stood up immediately and reached out his hand for her, grabbing his coat, “let’s go for a stroll and find somewhere that jumps out at you.”

 

She took his hand, “Sorry to make the wait for food longer.”

 

“I can hold on, it’s you I’m worried about, are you feeling well?” He tugged at the collar of Marinette’s coat to snuggle her up. She had kept it on because she was too cold in the dress she was wearing. It was most likely on sale to clean out last year’s spring collection before the end of March, which was just around the corner.

 

“I’m good, thanks to you.”

 

They went to the front of the restaurant to explain they were leaving, then stepped out into the cold night. They walked aimlessly but quickly. They were hungry. Marinette’s dietary criteria wasn’t met by many night-life restaurants and they were running out of time. Most of the restaurants were within 2 hours of closing, and the stores and bakeries were beginning to turn out their lights.

 

As she sighed and cuddled up to Adrien’s arm, she glanced up at a colorful store. “Oh! A fabric store!”

 

“Is that what you’re craving right now?” Adrien chuckled. When she didn’t respond he turned to look at her, “Sorry—”

 

Adrien stopped when he saw her breath quickening and her eyes glazing over. “Hey, what’s wrong?!”

 

He followed her gaze and found a disheveled woman cleaning the store. Long brown hair that looked brittle and dry, hazel eyes beneath dark circles of olive skin. Though her hair was tied back and she looked twice Adrien and Marinette’s age, it didn’t take a closer look to remember the face that tormented the both of them for years on end.

“Lila…” he growled.

 

As though she had heard him, she looked up and directly at them. Adrien hugged Marinette closer and walked her as far away from that shop as he could, “I’ve got you, Princess.”

 

Marinette clung to his shirt, unfamiliar with her own level of fear. They stopped and rested underneath a random awning, “She saw me! She knows I’m…” she touched her stomach, “...vulnerable!”

 

Adrien licked his lips, not finding anything he could disagree with without lying. Admittedly, he was equally spooked. “This is going to sound bad, and it’s definitely not something I like saying… since when have you been _in_ vulnerable? Both of us are and have always been vulnerable to something, and we continue to learn that the hard way. Lila isn’t invulnerable either. You two have gone toe-to-toe, and you’re pretty evenly matched. But you’ve always beaten her and everyone else by outsmarting them first and foremost. Sure, we have both done our fair share of ass-kicking, but really it came down to brains. And you’re no less mentally strong than you were before.”

 

Tikki poked out of Marinette’s coat, “You have a lot more to deal with lately, Marinette, that’s why you feel different. When you go from training with 20kg to 22kg, the resistance you feel is discouraging, but don’t forget how strong you would have to be to get to that point! And besides, you have a partner who is your balance and support. When you can only give 30%, Adrien gives 70%.”

 

Adrien nodded confidently in the face of Marinette’s guilt-ridden expression, “You’ve helped and protected me from a lot of things too, like my own father just a while back. If Lila even dares to mess with you, I’ll be there, and we can take her down together. As we always say, we’re a team. That’s something she doesn’t have anymore. Actually, Lila never had a team. Her and Hawkmoth were both cowards who didn’t truly have each other’s backs, and that’s why we beat them. We’ve got this.”

 

Marinette took a deep breath, furrowing her eyebrows, “You’re right. We are pretty unstoppable, aren’t we?” She tilted her head, “Sorry, I just… was caught off guard when I saw Lila. It felt like I would never see her again. In fact, I’d pretty much forgotten she existed. Four years without ever having to think about her. I’d feel better if the baby was out already, I would feel safer for the three of us.”

 

“You won’t be ready immediately after birth, you know, Marinette. You might even be _more_ vulnerable. As Ladybug, it’s really hard and it makes you feel irresponsible, but it’s perfectly OK to depend on Chat Noir,” Tikki smiled.

 

“I know… I just don’t like leaving him alone,” Marinette pursed her lips.

 

“I _definitely_ don’t feel alone,” Adrien squeezed her arm.

 

“Well _I_ do,” Plagg whined. “It’s like I’m the only one who wants to eat around here!”

 

“Plagg, don’t be insensitive, this is serious!” Tikki yell-whispered over to Adrien’s coat.

 

“This is all assuming Lila is still the same as always? Aren’t we jumping the gun a little?” Plagg yawned.

 

“He does have a point…” Marinette muttered. Adrien and Tikki blinked at her, she continued, “No, I’ll never trust Lila. I mean he has a point that we haven’t eaten yet. I don’t even know if I have an appetite anymore so I have no idea what I was craving before.”

 

“Marinette, you can’t skip a meal—”

 

“I know, Adrien, I won’t.” she smiled, “Tikki, what do you think has the best nutrients for me right now?”

 

“Why don’t you find some place that can give you a nice miso soup, it’s very good for you and the baby!” Tikki sang.

 

“ _Soup?!_ ” Plagg screeched, almost too loudly, as a few strangers glanced at Adrien and Marinette when they walked by. “What am I, a _fish?_ ”

 

“Plagg, a fish couldn’t even swim in soup, that doesn’t make any sense,” Adrien groaned, pulling out a slice of camembert, “just take this and be quiet.”

 

“Well, I’m no dog that can just be shu-mphnamnamnam…” Plagg chewed happily.

 

“Let’s just get the car and drive to a Japanese restaurant? It’s a lot easier than walking around in the cold hoping to find one,” Adrien chuckled.

 

“A lot more fun too,” Marinette agreed.

 

Adrien pulled out his phone, tapping a speed dial and telling the car to meet them at the end of the block.

 

“I still hope there are things other than soup,” Plagg grumbled as they walked over to the car.

 

“Oh _please_ , you would be happy eating out of a trash can,” Tikki sighed.

 

Marinette feigned offense, “No, no, _no,_ Tikki. Plagg’s palate is very _delicate_.”

 

“Yes, exactly,” Plagg nodded. “Wait, you aren’t teasing me, are you?”

 

“Do you love cheese?” Marinette winked.

 

“Hmm!” Plagg smirked.

 

After finding a restaurant, Marinette finally got herself to relax and enjoy herself with Adrien. Downing her soup and imagining herself getting instantly stronger. With Plagg’s clownery, and Adrien’s promised kisses, she forgot Lila . She laughed and felt happy and good. She felt she could rest easily through the night.

 

Though, when she arrived home her stomach bothered her for a moment before easing back again. Marinette chuckled to herself and patted her belly as she leaned back against the headboard of the bed, “Shouldn’t have let myself get so hungry, I think I hate too much. Hope that food made you feel strong, Little Kitten.”

 

“Bug!” Adrien frowned, “the baby is a Cuddle Bug!”

 

“We’ll see,” Marinette smiled, “this one is a little ball of reckless energy, I can tell. And you know what I think of when it comes to reckless energy? I think of kittens. Bugs just... “ she waved her hand, “are orderly.”

 

Adrien snorted, “You’re telling me our baby is going to be spontaneous and a little crazy?”

 

“Yes,” Marinette reached across the bed and scratched Adrien’s chin, “just like my hero.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Marinette gonna be OK :stares:

**Author's Note:**

> seriously i've been thinking about this fic since 2016... i had to start it. I'm SORRY
> 
> Please let me know if the formatting got screwed up by ao3, and ofc i love to read feedback whether it's a keysmash or critic x3 I'd love to know if this story is off to a good start.


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